17TH OCTOBER

DON’T SETTLE FOR MEDIOCRITY

“Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.”

(2 Kings 10:28-29)

Jehu was a man of immense strength and courage, so he was used immensely as God’s instrument. He destroyed the house of Ahab and the worship of Baal, which was an evil and corrupt idolatrous religion, designed to destroy life. Hurrah! That’s what God said.

But what of the worship of the golden calves? Was that not also idolatrous? It seemed politically advantageous to destroy Baal worship, which was associated with the dynasty of Ahab. It is easy to see the speck in the eyes of others and not be able to see the log in our eyes. To destroy the golden calves might cause Jehu’s people to move to the rival southern kingdom to worship the same there. Moreover, he probably convinced himself with the excuse that the golden calves were made as visible representations of God. He seemed to forget that the first set of golden calves made God very angry.

Didn’t the writing on the tablet of the Ten Commandments state that such worship was idolatrous? It seemed that Jehu was selectively obedient. He had zeal but his heart was not totally committed to God.

We may be active in the house of God, but more importantly we must give God our total and heartfelt obedience. In behaving like Jehu and settling for mediocrity, we miss the opportunity to achieve great goals as God purposes.

ACTION: Make your obedience to God complete by surrendering your all to His purpose.

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, not to settle for mediocrity unknowingly, as a result of incomplete obedience. Make my heart adapt to complete obedience to your Word.