When they were in their kingdom, with Your abundant goodness that You gave them, and in the spacious and fertile land You set before them, they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways. Nehemiah 9:35 HCSB
In the book, The Frog in the Kettle by George Barna, he uses this illustration, “If you drop a frog in a kettle of boiling water it will jump out immediately in reaction to the heat and pain. On the other hand, if you put the frog in water that is room temperature, slowly heating it, the frog will remain in the kettle and eventually cook to death.” This illustrates how we slowly accept the conditions around us and become very comfortable with that which will eventually cause us pain, suffering, and even death. We all need to be aware and not become too comfortable with what is around us by accepting things that really are not good for us.
The Israelites became comfortable in their wealth and success. They enjoyed the blessings God had showered upon them. They became self-sufficient rather than dependent upon God. They forgot that God was the source of their blessings. They neglected His laws and regulations and began to accept foreign gods. They were just like the frog in the kettle; certainly they did not intend to turn away from God and forget His ways, but they gradually accepted more and more foreign gods until they had completely forgotten God.
Challenge: Evaluate your own life and determine if you are becoming too comfortable with things that are not God-honoring. Do your blessings cause you to be thankful to God and draw you closer to Him, or do they make you self-sufficient and forgetful of God?