Your Daily Devotional for May 21, 2006

May 21, 2006

 

Double Minded

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee:  for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.  According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.”

 

1 Samuel 8:7-8

 

A young soldier was going into battle and was quite confident that his life would be taken.  He handed a letter to his buddy and asked him to be sure that Sally received it with the message that he loved her and his last words were her precious name.  He then asked him to deliver the same message to Helen.

 

That young man was double-minded.  James 1:8 says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”  Double-mindedness brings insecurity in your own life and disrespect in the lives of those you are trying to please.  God does not want to share the loyalty He deserves with anyone else. 

 

In this passage, we see that the Israelites had begun to serve the idols and images of those people who lived around them.  They did not keep their eyes on the Lord, but began to serve other things. Their double-mindedness led to their asking for a king instead of having God Himself as their ruler. 

 

What about you today?  What idols do you have sneaking into your life?  Is it a car, a hobby, a person, or work?  Anything that takes the place of God is an idol.  Don’t allow any kind of idol into your life, for if it gets in, you will be double-minded, displease God, and have to live with consequences of your actions.

 

Psalm 106:15 says, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”  Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

 

In your double-minded state, you may ask God for something, and He may let you have what you ask for, like He did with the Israelites, but it certainly will not be pleasant in the long run.  You will not only be unstable, but you will end up with a mess.  May we live each day with our hearts and our eyes focused on the Lord Jesus Christ alone!

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