Easy Religion

King Jeroboam sought to create an easy religion for the people. His reasoningwas, "It is too hard for you to go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. That takes too much of a sacrifice. So we will make it easy on you. We will put gods right here in your own community." Easy religions always appeal to the flesh because they don't require a denial of self. Yet what did Jesus give as the first requirement for someone who wanted to follow Him? "Deny yourself." I cannot live after the Spirit and after the flesh. These two things are contrary.

The king...made two calves of gold, and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!" And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin... 1 Kings 12:28-30

Excerpt from Chuck Smith's book Wisdom for Today.