Have you ever synced with the wrong data? Or old data? It’s a pain to get rid of that we don’t need. And it can even break us, like when I accidentally Bluetoothed my Blackberry contacts to my daughter’s regular phone. Her phone locked up with all the “wrong stuff.”
Do we synchronize our faith? Do we plug our God into the USB port of our need or personal world and blend it until nothing is true, definable, or authentic? Could we be guilty of religious syncing with wrong stuff?
Us? We’re believers, right. Worshippers of God. We couldn’t be guilty, could we?
Do we worship the institution called church? Do we give our everything to our children, spouse, or family? Do we worship our selfish interests, or “this is the way I am” and “this is the way I do things.” Could we be guilty of setting our desires and longing on stuff, yet blend all this worship with a religious nod toward God?
Do we synchronize our faith in the One True God with all these culturally acceptable behaviors?
I’m guilty.
The last part of chapter 17 in 2 Kings describes how groups from various nations were settled in Israel bringing their culture with them, blending worship of God into their life’s mix. “And though they worshipped the Lord, they continued to follow their own gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came” (2 Kgs. 17:33).
The people practiced a spiritual acknowledgement of God without a commitment or change in their life. How can we not be guilty of the same thing? How can we be totally given to God? Without mixture? How can we be a true, definable, and authentic Christ follower?
What insights can you share from your journey?
