Daily Devotionals

Devotional: November 14th

THE GREAT ALTERNATIVE

Elijah came near unto all the people and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him. - 1 Kings 18:21

The vehement question of Elijah is, perhaps, still more picturesque in the original, for one rendering gives, "How long limp ye on two knees?" a vulgar, but expressive, figure by which indecision is likened to a cripple hobbling along first on one knee and then on the other. But whether that be so or no, there is no mistaking the ring of contempt and impatience with which the prophet, so convinced himself, rebukes the pitiable weakness that sought to unite two such discrepancies as the worship of God and the worship of Baal. Unite, I say; for it is to be observed that, in accordance with the tone of the question and the facts of the case, the worship of idols was not proposed as a substitute for, but as an accompaniment and a form of, worship of Jehovah. The only person that objected was Jehovah. Polytheism is always hospitable; for when " there are gods many and lords many," one or two more make very little difference, and Baal had no objection to Jehovah’s altar standing behind his. But Jehovah is intolerant, for He is alone. " Thou shalt have none other gods beside Me," and to enthrone another is to dethrone Him.

What do I mean by choice? I mean, first, an honest fronting of all the facts of the case, so far as these are ascertainable. Have you ever sat down and taken stock of your position? Have you ever looked at the claims of God revealed in Christ - at your own natures, and what they tell you you ought to be to Him, and He, and He only, may be to you. Have you fronted eternity, and given that its due weight as a factor in the decision of your conduct? Unless you have, you may say, " I choose not to be a Christian," but the word choice is as much misapplied to that instinctive decision as it would be to the child’s act when it puts out its hand to lay hold of the moon. First and foremost, the state of the case should be looked at all round; and until you have done that you have no business to make a choice; for God gave you the power of choice that it should be ruled by your reason, and your reason directed by your conscience, and your conscience illuminated by His revelation.

And then I mean that a deliberate decision should be made in accordance with the evidence, and that you should not, first of all, contemplate the facts of the case, and then shut your eyes, and, to use a vulgar expression, "go it blind," and decide as you like and not as reason and conscience tell you. And I mean, further, that on the back of intelligent weighing of the facts and deliberate decision, moulded by these, there should come appropriate action. " If the Lord be God, follow Him."

Now, I believe that these three things are deplorably wanting, as in regard of all the lives of all of us, so most eminently in regard of the lives of the great majority of people who have not committed the keeping of their souls to Jesus Christ, and taken service in His army.

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