For it came to pass, when Solomon was old,
that his wives turned away his heart after
other gods: and his heart was not perfect
with the LORD his God, as was the heart
of David his father. For Solomon went after
Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and
after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
(1 Kings 11:4-5)

And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because
his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel,
which had appeared unto him twice, And had
commanded him concerning this thing, that he
should not go after other gods: but he kept not that
which the LORD commanded. Wherefore the LORD
said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee,
and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes,
which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the
kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
(1 Kings 11:9-11)

Christians are often accused of being too rigid, too intolerant, or too uncompromising. The fact is, compromise is very dangerous in the Christian's life. Compromise is a slippery slope, and like all slopes, the path is all downhill, and will lead to disaster. We can see this danger exemplified in the life of King Solomon.

King Solomon had started out well. The son and heir of King David, who was known as the "man after God's own heart", Solomon had been blessed by God with great wisdom, and is considered the wisest man who ever lived. He had it all: riches, power, and every pursuit of happiness and satisfaction know to man was all his. However, he left behind God's commands, and married foreign women. Lots and lots of foreign women. And he allowed them all to worship their foreign gods.

It might have seemed harmless to him. After all, HE knew and worshiped the one true God. But to please his wives, he compromised, and allowed false gods into his home and into his life, contrary to God's word. His compromise eventually led him to worship the false gods of his many wives.

Compromise begins with tolerance: allowing those things into our lives that contradict God's Word. We are being admonished daily that we must be tolerant of things we know are wrong, according to God's word. We always hear the rationalization "Live and let live, that what I always say." Or, "If you don't approve, you don't have to do it, simple as that."

But it's NOT as simple as that. What happens is that first we tolerate, then eventually we participate. Why? Because the people we surround ourselves with have a tremendous influence on our own choices. Thus, we must be careful not to compromise and allow ungodliness to creep into our lives and the lives of those around us.

As soon as we begin to accept the world's standard, we have begun to compromise. The ONLY standard by which we can measure good or evil is God's standard. Whatever the issue at hand - whether abortion, same-sex marriage, legalization of mind altering drugs, gender identity, or any number of "hot" issues we face today, or even just basic standards of human behavior - our authority and the guide for our choices must always and only be God's holy word.