They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. (2 Peter 2:15, NIV)
“Balaam served only God, listened only for his words, and went forward in faith from there. Balaam had every opportunity to miss the point of the story. He did not.”
That is how we ended yesterday’s devotion, riding high from the example of Balaam. Here was a man who faced the same temptations we often do, but who adhered to the way of the Lord for his life. Well, perhaps not for his life…
The rest of what we find in Scripture about Balaam—the passages from Joshua and Nehemiah and Micah and the New Testament—offers little praise for the man who had surrendered to God, spiting King Balak’s “generous offers.”
Recently I stood with a young player on the golf course, considering his options from the spot of trouble he was in. If you have been around the game for a while, you begin to see such spots from a much narrower point of view—often, you have only one realistic option. Beginners are different. They calculate their yardage—say, 125 yards—and pull their regular club—say, a 9-iron. Never mind the thick rough. Never mind the low-hanging branches 10 paces ahead. Never mind the best place to leave a miss for the next shot.
People will use their most inviting, convincing words to draw our affections away from God.
Apparently, from the reports of those who had been given the end of Balaam’s story, the man’s devotion to God in one notable instance was not where he remained. The temptations of wealth and the thrust of power apparently lured him away from service to the Lord and into the service of the king. According to Revelation 2:14, it was Balaam who counseled Balak in ways to draw the Israelites into sin.
Balaam widened the “one choice” to other possibilities, and it was his downfall.
In essence, today’s lesson is the same as yesterday’s. The world will come at us with eye-popping enticements. People will use their most inviting, convincing words to draw our affections away from God. In the face of this, we will have to adhere to the one choice. In fact, we will have to make this same choice again and again.
It is true that heroes are often born in the moment. They rise to a desperate occasion. But not every hero stands forever. Some sacrifice their nobility on lesser altars. Lord, don’t let this be us. Let us be those who stand to the end, choosing you relentlessly.
—
Jeff Hopper
Originally published February 8, 2011
Copyright 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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