2 Kings 17:32-33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
“They worshipped the LORD, but they also …”. The people who settled in the towns of Israel after the Israelites were taken into exile worshipped the Lord. But did they really? Maybe they included the Lord as one of the many gods that they worshipped? Maybe they gave one day to the Lord and one day to each of their other gods? Maybe they allowed the Lord to be worshipped by the priests and thought they could take credit for that themselves? Or maybe they just took on the name of worshippers of the Lord because that was what the people of that area had called themselves?
Sounds a lot like the Church in America! We worship the Lord, but we also worship the idols of this age. We worship the Lord on Sunday morning, but then ignore Him the rest of the week. We let our pastors and priests worship the Lord, but don’t want to get labeled as that fanatic Christian by others. We claim the name of Christian, but only because of the church around the corner.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23
What if the statement about us was just, “They worshipped the LORD.” What would my life look like if there was no “but” following that statement? What are the “buts” that I need to get rid of in my life? What about you? Is there a “but” that you need to let go of today?
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