The Race Is On!
It had been 58 years since that bloody and tragic civil war that split the nation of Israel. God's people had prospered and thrived under the reigns of David and Solomon, but after Solomon died, the kingdom was torn apart. Those days were marred by apathetic and lukewarm faithfulness to God. There was fighting among brothers and brazen idol worship. In those dark days, God raised up a man of humble means. This man, whose name meant "The LORD (Yahweh) is my God," would call for and initiate revival. His name was Elijah. Elijah would challenge the people to make the LORD (Yahweh), the God of their lives.
Elijah had been on King Ahab's (an evil king) hit list. In order to show the people (and Ahab) that there were dire consequences to not serving Yahweh, Elijah prayed that it would not rain. It didn't for three years! Now, the time had come for a showdown. Elijah, God's “gunfighter," would shoot it out with the priests of Baal. The people of Israel were called to witness and to choose. Elijah called the people to choose between the true God of the Bible (Yahweh) and a popular false god (Baal). Elijah challenged the people when he said, "You can't choose both, you must choose one!"
Elijah called the people of Israel to gather at a place called Mt. Carmel. At Mt. Carmel, there would be a contest to show who was the real and genuine God! The winner of the contest was the one who could call down fire from heaven. The priests of Baal had the stage first. They tried in vain (all day) to get a spark from Baal. When evening was almost upon them, Elijah called to Yahweh, and fire poured down from the sky! The result of this is that the people of Israel fell on their faces and cried out, "Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!" The people rose at Elijah's command and slew the 850 false prophets of Baal who were gathered for the contest. Revival had broken out among the people of God!
The same dark times and choices are with us today. God calls His people to choose between Him and the world. The church is being rendered powerless because its heart is divided. Christians dress up for God on Sunday, yet they bow to the world all week long. A simple illustration was seen this past weekend in the San Diego, California area. In Southern California, there is a huge Naval base that operates in and surrounds the San Diego area. This base (named Naval Base Coronado) was the site of a NASCAR race. This first time NASCAR race wound its way around and through the Naval base. The race garnered a great deal of attention because it drew an anticipated 125,000 fans from all 50 of the U.S. states and many countries from around the world. People gladly paid a lot of money and spent a great deal of time standing in long lines to get to the race. During the race, they sat on hard seats to watch. They were thrilled to do these things. I wonder how many of these people avoid God or gripe about serving God because it costs them time, money, and convenience. What's the difference between the automobile race and the Christian race? Nothing. Both of them cost. What's the benefit of the two races? One entertains and the other saves!
I'm not knocking racing; everyone needs a hobby. The problem is when we turn God into a hobby and make the world our life's ambition! Elijah correctly pointed out that we can't serve two masters. We must choose God and serve Him wholeheartedly if we are to experience real success and fulfillment. Remember, it is better to feel the fire from Heaven now than to feel the fires of Hell later! Keep looking up.