Dear brethren, we live in an age of compromise, compromise, compromise! People do not seem to want to get “too excited” about most anything—including murdering their own children! They do not want to “cause trouble.” They really do not want to “stand” for anything!
President Obama has been criticized severely by conservative politicians for his “shifting” of various “red lines” he has drawn. He has more than once “backed down” when faced with challenges from Republicans (and even some Democrats) in the United States Congress, from Russians in the Ukraine, from Syria in the Middle East and even from allies in Europe. But this attitude of compromise is hardly unique to the President. It is a feature of our modern “tolerant” lifestyle for millions. So, ask yourself—are you any better?
In truth, most professing Christians actually have virtually no “red lines”! Under political and personal pressure, even many professing Christians consistently back down and compromise with almost anything: same-sex marriage, use of illegal drugs, “living together” before marriage, accepting and even welcoming abortion, taking up arms in military fights completely against Christ’s instruction—and so much more. But we need to be honest with ourselves and consider:: “Are we any better?” Almighty God warns us powerfully that, at this time of the end, the basic spirit—even among God’s people—will be “Laodicean”! And God directly and powerfully condemns the Laodicean tendency to “take it easy” and to “water things down” and “go along” with the world around us! God states: “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:16–17).
Indeed, the people who “think” they are righteous and have need of nothing are often the ones in the very greatest need of God’s Spirit and the faith of Christ, which will help them genuinely “stand” for something! Just “going to church on Saturday” is not enough! Just generally believing in the main doctrines of God’s Church is not enough! Clearly, when you read the entire Bible and point it at yourself, you can see God expects each one of us to totally surrender to do what He says and live “by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). So will you cry out to God for the understanding, the faith and the courage to actually do that?
For even among God’s own people there is a tendency to be very careless in observing the Sabbath! Many take a very “casual” attitude toward watching television on the Sabbath, toward all kinds of thoughts and activities that draw them away from the true worship and adoration of God they should be developing on His holy day. They seem to “forget” God’s inspired admonition: “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13–14).
Brethren, we must ask God for the strength to literally give ourselves over to profound Bible study, meditation on God’s Word and His law, heartfelt profound prayer—particularly on God’s seventh-day Sabbath—as we focus on His Kingdom and on things related to Him far more than any other interest! Even during the week, we must not allow ourselves to watch too much television, to dwell on worldly entertainment, or to absorb our minds in sex or violence or on the constant attitude of “getting ahead” and making more money, having more material goods, and having more “fun”!
If you have been really “converted”—if you have been truly changed—then you will focus on Christ living His life within you through the Holy Spirit. You will not be constantly allowing your mind to be focused on things of this world. As the Apostle Paul instructed us: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1–3).
If you have been “raised with Christ,” in true repentance and baptism, you will sincerely obey God’s instruction: “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26). If you, personally, surround yourself with people who are living “on the fringe” of true, zealous Christianity even though they are physically “in” God’s Church, you are in danger of being dragged down into worldly, selfish and often divisive attitudes that such people so often display. You should choose those who are genuinely strong in the faith—those people who are genuinely trying to “walk with God” in every phase of their lives. Then, you will be much more likely to be a strong member of God’s true Church and be genuinely training to be a leader in Christ’s Kingdom in Tomorrow’s World.
As genuine outside persecution begins to come upon us, we will be called upon to be truly strong “Christian warriors” for Jesus Christ! We will genuinely need to “stand for something”—even when at times it may put us in danger of judgment or death! Remember how Daniel had to directly face the most powerful king on the entire earth at his time, Darius. When faced with a choice of immediate death if he prayed outwardly and audibly to any “god” except the king for “only thirty days,” Daniel chose to “stand” for his total submission to the God of heaven. For Darius the king had signed the decree to “establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions” (Daniel 6:7).
But Daniel knew exactly what to do! “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (Daniel 6:10).
So Daniel got down on his knees and undoubtedly “cried out” to Almighty God for strength to see him through this trial and deliver him. God did dramatically do that by supernaturally protecting him and delivering him from hungry lions! He was not willing to “compromise.”
On the other hand, a man who might normally be considered a reasonable or “nice” king—King Saul of Israel—was willing to “compromise” in order to please the people. Even though King Saul had been directly commanded by God—through His servant Samuel—to completely destroy the Amalekites and all of their animals, he chose the way of “compromise.” He did attack the Amalekites and destroy some of them. “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ‘I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.’ And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night” (1 Samuel 15:9–11).
Saul was able to convince himself that he was “only” compromising a little. But God does not want us to “compromise” when it comes to obeying Him and His laws. God’s faithful servant Samuel realized this and was so “grieved” that he cried out to God all night. Yet, when confronted, Saul tried to “explain it all away.”
Therefore, Samuel was inspired by God to rebuke him: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king” (vv. 22–23). Dear brethren, when “pressure” comes on you and your family to keep your job in a Sabbath-breaking situation or lose it, how much will you “compromise”? When you are faced with a difficult situation in your marriage, how much will you “compromise” and leave your mate or be unfaithful to your mate in any way? When faced with the opportunity to make a “lot more money” by doing something unethical, how much will you be willing to “compromise”?
Think!
Each one of us must learn to genuinely go “all out” to let Christ live His life within us. For the Apostle Paul was inspired to write: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV). God really does want us to be willing to draw a “red line”—something that we will not ever cross in disobedience to our Creator! Will you do that? Will you make an unswerving commitment to obey God with all your heart, strength and mind?