Jesus Calls All - 73

The price of compromise with God’s principles?

Rev. 2:14-16 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

Compromise dilutes integrity. Politicians, in their attempt to pass legislation, bribe one another and will make concessions to the legislation being considered. This was originally designed to assure any bad laws would not get passed. Instead, today the result is good bills are diluted and become bad, and bad bills become even worse.

When a business or individual compromises their standards, the world tags them as a “hypocrite” and shuns them. We are furious with the leadership of Enron, Worldcom, the financial industry, and a host of other institutions and corporations who have profited from corporate welfare when they don’t even deserve to exist any longer. All have lost their integrity.

Compromise tolerates sin. Later, it endorses, and then later embraces. Drugs, violence in entertainment and sex, for example; once considered taboo, are now acceptable in society. The result is a global civilization becoming more self centered, more violent, and more apathetic.

Compromise dilutes your relationship with God. God wants all of you: hook line and sinker; lock stock and barrel. He doesn’t want you one day a week, or a few hours one day a week. He wants you 24/7/365. (And 366 days next year!) Yes you have a job and other responsibilities. Take God with you! Jesus would love to spend your workday with you, and the Holy Spirit will guide you and help you say and do the things that will help your day go better for you. You will most definitely strengthen your relationship with God.

Compromise caused the early Israelites to accept the teachings and idols of their neighbors, resulting in the weakening and eventual fall of Israel. Compromise enabled Balak ( mentioned above), King of Midian, to invite the Israelites to commit adultery with the Midianites. As a result, a plague destroyed 24,000 Israelites. (Numbers 25).

Where have you sacrificed your integrity for convenience? Where have you compromised your standards: with your work, your family, or with God? Reestablishing integrity is not an easy process. Your peers will find your repentance, “hard to believe” at first, but will later appreciate the change as they trust you more and more. Remember those with the strongest integrity are the ones who have the most value in the workplace, as well as with God. They are the ones who have the respect of others.