Only One Throne
Published February 20, 2026
Deuteronomy 8-11
Friday, February 20, 2026 | Philip Hopkins
Israel was a stranger in a foreign land, led through the wilderness to be disciplined and taught to trust the Lord. God was with them day and night, performing miracles to sustain them, yet once they entered the land flowing with milk and honey, they chased after the very things God had commanded them to drive out. They pursued human leadership, false gods, comfort, and wealth. Instead of obeying God’s commands, they created their own traditions, allowing sin to flourish.
Just as Moses warned in Deuteronomy 8, they forgot the Lord, followed other gods, and ultimately faced judgment. Their hearts drifted so far that when Christ came, they failed to recognize Him as the Messiah.
As the church, we must ask ourselves the same hard questions. Have we grown comfortable in the gift of salvation? Have we assimilated into the world instead of living as aliens within it? Scripture is clear: friendship with the world is hostility toward God (James 4:4), and we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Yet many churches adopt the ways of the world under the guise of love.
As D. L. Moody warned, "God will not accept a divided heart—there is room for only one throne."
We are called to be a light on a hill. But how can we shine if the world cannot tell the difference between the light and the darkness? This world is not our home, and if we are not living set apart, the world will never see Christ in us. Leonard Ravenhill rightly said that the true man of God is grieved by the worldliness, prayerlessness, and tolerance of sin in the church.
May we return to wholehearted devotion, living distinctly for the glory of God.