Hold on for the ride

Today: 2 Kings 18-19

Have you ever watched people ride a zip line?

Most hang on for dear life (even though they're held by a harness) as they zip through trees and over jungles and waterfalls and streams.

I pictured a zip line as I read part of today's passage. Check it out:

Hezekiah put his whole trust in the God of Israel.

There was no king quite like him,

either before or after.

He held fast to God—

never loosened his grip—

and obeyed to the letter

everything

God had commanded Moses.

And God, for his part,

held fast to him through all his adventures.

Our lives sometimes feel like zip line adventures--sometimes perilous, sometimes exciting and fun. Through it all, God is like the line and the harness--if we hold onto Him, the adventure is a bit smoother. But even if we lose our grip, He's there--holding us with His love.

Tomorrow: 1 Kings 20-22

Fake and praise

Today: 2 Kings 15-17

I'm getting ready for a trip to a sunny destination. I've decided not to "fake and bake" in a tanning salon, so I'm trying self-tanning lotion. It looks pretty legit for the most part. But the first time I put it on, I had definitive lines between my snow-white skin and the faux glow. Not cute. I'm not normally into fake stuff, but when it comes to self-tanner versus wrinkles, faux glow is the way to go (does that sound like a really sick cheer or something?). :)

I'm not a fan of fake and bake...and as I read today's passage, I thought it's clear God isn't a fan of something I'll call "fake and praise." Take a look:

They don't really worship God—

they don't take seriously what he says

regarding how to behave and what to believe...

God made a covenant with his people and ordered them,
"Don't honor other gods:
Don't worship them, don't serve them, don't offer sacrifices to them.
Worship God,

the God who delivered you from Egypt in great and personal power.
Reverence and fear him. Worship him. Sacrifice to him.

And only him!

All the things he had written down for you,

directing you in what to believe and how to behave—

well, do them for as long as you live.

And whatever you do, don't worship other gods!

And the covenant he made with you, don't forget your part in that.

And don't worship other gods!

Worship God, and God only—

he's the one who will save you from enemy oppression."
But they didn't pay any attention.

They kept doing what they'd always done.

As it turned out, all the time these people were putting on a front

of worshiping God,

they were at the same time involved with their local idols.

And they're still doing it...

This passage piqued my interest for a few reasons. First, I'll say that faux worship is often something you can't see in other people. Sometimes, people are criticized as being "showy" in their worship when they might be genuine--or vice versa, they're criticized for being too stoic when they might be very sincere as well. Fake praise is not always visible. It's often a heart thing.

That said, faux worship has to do with more than what the modern church often labels as worship (e.g. singing during a church service). In this passage, God defined worship as behaving and believing in line with His instructions--that's a lifestyle. It's living for God exclusively every day instead of living for ourselves or an idol (which could really be anything that takes God's place in our lives).

Let's stop the fake and praise--it's even worse than wrinkles and the faux glow of my orangey hands as I'm typing this. :)

Tomorrow: 2 Kings 18-19