2 Kings 10-12, John 1:29-51 • Key Verse: 2 Kings 12:3

“Done” can be a nice word. Sometimes I write the word “do” on a list and then later enjoy going back, adding two letters and making it “done.” Its a nice word, if it stands alone. When it begins with “un” as in “undone” or is preceded by “needs to be” or “not quite,” the word is not as nice. “Almost done” can be encouraging or discouraging. The “almost” can indicate that either it will soon be completed or that it remains incomplete.

Too often a job is incomplete. The finishing touches are undone. That happens with everything from home remodeling to sewing to yard work, and, unfortunately, with obedience. Our spiritual lives too often have areas of incomplete obedience.

Israel was given the Promised Land with specific instruction to get rid of all the idols and places of idolatry. Yet repeatedly in the Old Testament we read statements such as the one found in 2 Kings 12:3: “The high places, however, were not removed.” The places that were allowed to remain often became an enticement, entrapping the people in false worship practices. That is why God wanted them removed, so they would not pull people into sin.

In a similar way, we can keep in our homes and lives things that God wants removed. We can do most of what God wants but stop short of getting it done completely. Our obedience is incomplete, not fully done, and Satan uses those things that remain undone to tempt and trap us.

_Are there areas of your life where obedience is incomplete? Promise today to obey God fully, asking Him to help you see the things that need to be done._

Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in