Day 118: 2 Kings 16:1 - 18:36

There's alot to swallow in this one passage of Scripture, but I mostly just want to focus on the first part of the passage. Ahaz is a  very accurate picture of the modern day church, in my opinion. God said that they were only to offer sacrifices on the altar that He ordained in Jerusalem, but Ahaz decided to make a bigger, better one. God told the people of Israel not to make treaties and become dependent on other groups of people, but Ahaz decided to buy his way into "favor" with different groups of people. God equipped His temple with beautiful works of gold and Ahaz stripped them all down so he could bribe evil men. In much of the same way, many groups belonging to the "modern day church" have turned into spiritual prostitutes - offering to preach whatever gospel you want for the right price. The church reads what the Bible says and then makes their own determinations that the Bible is wrong and things should be done differently so as to not offend or turn anyone away. The truth of the matter is, Jesus is the cornerstone for them that are obedient, but to them that are disobedient, He is called the Stone of Stumbling. Being sensitive to the genuine needs of the world is important, but if you stumble over a rock that has always been there, it's not the rock's fault for existing, it's your fault for not paying attention. God doesn't want us to water down the Word. Although it may decrease the number of people offended by the Word, it will so much more decrease the life changing power that the Word can bring. And when the power of God is diluted by our own sensitivities and opinions, we are left wide open to the attackers that will come and carry us off in exile far away from the presence of God.

- Lord, I understand that being sensitive to the needs of the people is important when preaching the Word, but help me not to try to change Your Word in order to make them happy. You Word is and will always be unchanged and I don't want to share something that will make others comfortable, I want to share something that will change their lives. -