House Divided
When I think of a house divided, I think of fans of different football teams. Here in the south, collegiate football is almost like a religion. I grew up in Kentucky where basketball is more like a religious experience. In Kentucky, if your spouse was a Louisville Cardinal fan and you were a Kentucky Wildcat fan, you had a house divided. Here in West Georgia, the house divided is GA Tech and University of Georgia. In Alabama it’s Auburn versus Alabama.
In our homes, there are sometimes a house divided when one spouse is a follower of Jesus and the other spouse isn’t so much. It’s hard for one spouse to be “all in” and the other to be a “fair weather follower”. I want everyone in my house to know Jesus and to follow Him. I also want to be an example of worshipping the Creator instead of the things He created.
When Assyria captured the land of Israel, the Lord showed his anger toward some of the activities happening there by the pagan people. The king came up with a plan. Check this out….
27 The king of Assyria then commanded, “Send one of the exiled priests back to Samaria. Let him live there and teach the new residents the religious customs of the God of the land.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria returned to Bethel and taught the new residents how to worship the Lord.
29 But these various groups of foreigners also continued to worship their own gods. In town after town where they lived, they placed their idols at the pagan shrines that the people of Samaria had built. (2 Kings 17:27-29 NLT)
My wife and I are not crazy sports fans, so I wouldn’t call us a house divided. We don’t agree on everything, but we navigate our differences well.
The Lord doesn’t want my heart divided. He wants my undivided attention and affection to be upon Him. He doesn’t want to share my heart with others desires and wishes. I have to confess that I’ve had idols in my heart. I have to keep a check on this.
My family can be an idol of my heart.
My work can be an idol.
My friendships can be an idol.
My success can be an idol.
When the Lord has my attenttion and focus, He often supplies the rest as a blessing and bonus of my devotion to Him.
I have to keep a close check on things that draw my attention away from seeking Him. Jesus reminded us that we can’t serve two masters. Check this out….
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. (Matthew 6:24 NLT)
I want my heart to be completed committed to following the Lord first, with my family a close second and all others further back.
Pressing On!
Dwayne