Deceived or Devoted?

2 Corinthians 11:2-4

     I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. For I promised you as a pure bride to one husband, Christ. But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

     As with any good Pastor/Spiritual leader, Paul was very concerned about the Corinthian congregation and their walk with the Lord. He loved them, cared for them, prayed for them and took personal responsibility for them. After all, he wanted them to stand before God pure, holy and righteous. And that could only be accomplished through acceptance of the blood of Jesus and total devotion to Christ and His Word.

     Unfortunately, many preached a gospel based on things other than Jesus Christ and His resurrection, and the Corinthian believers were being tempted and deceived into believing the lies. Paul was trying to convince them to stand strong in their faith and not be lured away with each new passing fad and doctrine.

     Wow, I could go a hundred different directions at this point! Take a look around us and our world right now. We are confronted with new doctrines and points of view on a daily basis. Everyone seems to be seeking God through a new channel or direction, most of which don’t line up with the Word of God. Many don’t even believe the Bible to be God’s inspired word, so they believe anything that is thrown at them that tends to resemble Christianity. God’s heart has to be breaking.

     Why do we make things so difficult? The Bible and Christianity have been around for thousands of years and have proven themselves time and time again. All we have to do is open the book and read it. It’s that’s simple. Everything we will ever need to know is in the book. God hasn’t changed, there’s no new way to get to Him, no matter what anyone else may tell you. He is the one, true, living God; He always has been and He always will be. If we will seek Him, we WILL find Him.

     I believe our problem is that we want to live a Christian life and be accepted by God on our own terms, without changing our lifestyle. We don’t want to change; instead we want God to change to accommodate us. Well, to be blunt, it’s never going to happen. Let me repeat what I said earlier, God doesn’t change and neither does His Word. So it’s up to us to decide whether we’re going to accept His Word, lock, stock and barrel or snuggle up next to the latest and greatest new concept in religion. One leads to life everlasting and the other leads to death and destruction. The choice is ours.

     Where are you in your relationship with the Lord? Do you study the Bible for yourself or do you only listen to others explain it to you? Do you have a longing to dive deeper into what it means to be a true follower of Christ, but unsure of what that will mean for you? Take some time today to get completely alone and contemplate these questions. Sincerely tell God your desires and reservations. Ask God to give you the hunger to know Him and His Word more intimately.

Have a great day!