Uncompromisingly Yours, Oh Lord!
When Sarah got impatient, Ishmael became a household problem. Conspiring with Rebekah to steal Esau's birthright, Jacob found himself to be a runaway man. In both cases, Abraham and Jacob had astounding promises from God. But because both compromised in some shape or form, they had to deal with undesirable consequences. Interestingly, compromise has snowball effects. Jacob got cheated in return, married (or mis-married) a woman he didn't love, on a runaway again and had a dysfunctional family. Ishmael has been a problem to mankind every since - just watch CNN.
In our Christian walk, whether or not we compromised God is reflected by the choices we make - that little overchange by the cashier, that shot of whisky, that unequally yoked relationship. Compromise stems from our yielding to temptation, impatience or fear. Pathetically enough, some Christians seek to justify compromises using scripture as a pre-text for their justifications. If we look hard enough at the issue and cannot say "because God says so" with a straight-face, we simply have got it all wrong. The choices we make is an outward indication of an inward spirituality.
There are good reasons why God does not tolerate compromises against His Words. Firstly, the psychology of compromise undermines faith. We know that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Secondly, as God commands to be holy because He is holy (Leviticus 19:2), compromise implies a sub-standard spiritual stance. Thirdly, it taints our declaration of our love for God, because only those who truly love Him will do as He says (John 14:23-24).
posted by Mel-Vern @ 4:15 PM
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