Compromise

Think about how many times you compromise in a day.  If you have children, how many times do you compromise saying one thing and doing another?  How about in your relationships, how many times do you compromise and say one thing and end up doing something else?  And what about your business relationships, how many times have you compromised there?  When you are butting heads with someone out of stubbornness, then to compromise may be a wise thing to do and that can spill over to many areas of your life, but what about when it comes to truth and integrity, how many times have you compromised in those areas of your life?  In certain situations compromise can be a way of settling a dispute and can be helpful where stubbornness and bull headedness are hindering a solution that could be solved by both parties, compromising to get a good outcome.  But, when you start compromising the truth, everyone loses in the end.  When someone lies to you about anything, the truth is being compromised and the result can be very devastating.  How many people do you trust that lie to you and are always saying one thing and doing another?  This reminds me of the story about the boy who cried wolf; he did it so many times that when the wolf did come there was no one to help him because no one believed him.

Read what Jesus said about Nathanael when He saw him coming in John 1:47, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!’”

Jesus knew all about Nathanael before He ever came to him and Jesus also knows everything about us.  If you are an honest person you will not be afraid to stand in the Lord’s presence, but if you are not it will be a different story, you will feel very uncomfortable and you should feel ashamed and repent.  You can pull the wool over people’s eyes, so to speak, by lying, but God always knows the truth because He knows the real you inside and out and there is nothing that is hidden about us that he doesn’t know.  

I was thinking about Daniel this morning, he was a man that wouldn’t compromise no matter where he was, even when he and his friends were captured and exiled to Babylon, he would not even defile himself with the King’s food.  He was a young man when he was deported but he always remained true to his faith and to his God.  Daniel was always faithful in his prayer life also and he would not compromise, even if he was thrown into a lion’s den.  Because of his integrity and faithfulness to his God, when he was thrown into the lion’s den, God closed the mouths of the lions and he came forth without a scratch.  His three friends were also thrown into a fiery furnace but the Lord was there with them and they came forth without even the hint of the smell of smoke on them.  You can read about these men in God’s Word in the book of Daniel.

Many people compromise the truth, but truth is the glue that holds everything else together and it always pleases God when we stay true to His Word and not compromise the truth.  What about you, do you hold onto God’s truth or do you compromise when it is convenient?  Does your faith mean so much to you that you will not compromise but you will live out the Word of God in your life?  I know we all struggle with this and most of us have compromised in one way or another, so this is just a reminder that I hope will be an encouragement and help get us back on track, if we are straying in this area.

Something to think about!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!  P.S. it is not always what you want to hear that is important, but it is what you need to hear that is the most important, and we all need, not only to hear the truth but, to speak the truth as well without compromise.