Exodus 23

"You must not make a covenant with them or their gods."

Exodus 23:32

God promises the Israelites that He will deliver the Promised Land to them one small bit at a time, as they grow large enough to take over the space.  He warns them not to spread too quickly, but most importantly He warns them not to follow the practices of those they destroy.

In today's multicultural world, and with today's ease of global communication, it's easy to forget that God's ways do not mingle with the ways of others.  There are many ways in which all the religions of the world are similar, usually with certain moral values like "Thou shalt not murder," and it is great to celebrate those similarities.  However, we should never forget that sacrificing to false idols and worshiping other gods is a snare for us.

In this melting pot of the United States, how do we avoid intermingling our religions without completely avoiding other people?  I think the most obvious answer is to regularly attend church, but I'd say an even better answer would be to regularly read the Word of God.  How can we expect to mirror our Lord if we do not know who He is?  How can we know who He is if we do not read His Word?

Question: When was the last time you read your bible?  When someone inside or outside of church tells you something about God, how do you determine whether or not it's true?