He said: "LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. – 2 Chronicles 6:14

Today's Scripture Reading (October 23, 2022): 2 Chronicles 6

Marcus Aurelius ruled over the Roman Empire from 161 C.E. until his death on March 17, 180 C.E. Aurelius is probably best known for his persecution of Christians. However, historians are not convinced that he was even aware of the persecutions that were taking place during his reign, arguing that lesser officials would be more likely to order such persecution than the Emperor himself. Justin Martyr, an early Christian leader, includes in his writings a letter from Aurelius to the Roman Senate describing an incident that took place on the battlefield in which Aurelius believed that he was saved by Christian prayer. The letter was sent to the Senate earlier in Aurelius's life before he became Emperor. Today, however, the authenticity of that letter is in question, so the argument rages.

We sometimes forget that Marcus Aurelius, before becoming Emperor, was a Stoic philosopher. And as a philosopher, Aurelius taught us that we should "waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." It is good advice, regardless of who we are. We don't need to be able to communicate what we believe good is; we need to walk the talk and be good people. Nothing might frustrate me more than people who can talk about the Christian faith but who refuse to be Christian. Whenever these people confront me, I am reminded of Jesus's words to the church at Laodicea in Revelation. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16). To paraphrase Marcus Aurelius, we should "waste no more time arguing about what a Christian should be. Be one."

Solomon's failure was not because of ignorance. In the end, Solomon failed because he began to follow the gods of his wives. While Solomon knew that there was no God like Yahweh in heaven or the earth, Solomon began to worship Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek, the detestable god of the Ammonites. Solomon refused to give himself completely to the God he confessed to as no other God in heaven or earth.

Solomon knew how to talk about God but refused to walk his talk. He could talk about his faith, but his actions sent the world a different message. He might say that the God of Israel was above all other gods, but when it came to how he lived his life, he sent a very different message as he began to worship the gods of his foreign wives.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 7