You’ve heard the old story of the frog who gets put in room temperature water and doesn’t notice the incremental changes once the water is heated and therefore dies.  I don’t even know if that’s what would happen, but I do know that as humans, we have difficulty realizing the slow societal changes around us and how they might actually affect us.

In my time with the Lord this morning I was in three sections of scripture that made me consider how much we might look like the world.  In Ezra 9, Ezra is grieving because Israel had not separated themselves from the surrounding people but had taken on their abominations.  As our culture slips into a deeper moral decay, we have to ask ourselves how much has this affected us?  Please remember, this doesn’t mean separating ourselves from the lost but rather, keeping ourselves unstained by the world (James 1:27b).

How do we even know if we are slowly compromising?  If we only compare ourselves to those around us, even other Christians, we won’t have an accurate picture.  We must compare our lives in light of scripture.  Also, in my time this morning I was in Psalm 19:8-11 where I read this:

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold;
Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, Your servant is warned by them;
In keeping them there is great reward.

Consider the media you consume.  Are the shows honoring to God?  How much compromise are we okay with?  If a Christian from 100 years ago could see our lives today, what would they think?  I’m betting they would be very shocked about the unholy media we consume as a normal part of life.
Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

If you are currently struggling today with peace, joy, or contentment, I’d ask you to consider if you might be quenching or grieving the Spirit.  From the Spirit comes joy, peace, patience etc.

Hope you all grow closer to your King this week.

-Greg Huber