Serve The Lord Alone

"They feared the Lord yet served their own gods, according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away." 2 Kings 17:33

There was a guy I worked with who I really enjoyed.  We were both married and had young children so we had a lot in common.  He had a great sense of humor and we had many a good laugh together.  He was a great guy but I knew by he wasn't a believer.  He knew where I stood with the Lord.  I would always look for opportunities to share Christ with him & pray for him.

One day during a long conversation, my chance came and I pounced.  I don't remember how we got around to it, but at a perfect moment I was able to ask him if he was a Christian.  His answer really took me off guard as he said, "of course I'm a Christian, I was born here in America."  I quickly tried to convince him that being born in America didn't make you a Christian, but he would have nothing of that.  He told me he owned a Bible, had visited a few churches, and loved Ronald Reagan, so of course he was a Christian.

I had a tough time trying to explain to my friend what it really meant to be a Christian because he sort of agreed with everything I said about the Gospel, he just didn't live it.  He thought God was cool and Jesus was cool and that made him a Christian. We ended our conversation with him stating that he was a Christian just not a fanatic like me.  I was so grieved by our conversation because it revealed that he feared the Lord but served his own gods.

If Jesus is your Lord, than He is your Lord.  You obey Him, serve Him, worship Him and live for Him.  There is no gray area or middle ground when it comes to Jesus being Lord of your life.  You can't confess Him and serve your own gods.  You can't live a double life, if He is Lord than commit to Him wholly.