A Tottering Idol

Tags

creation, Creator, gold, holiness, idols, rock, silver, stability, tottering, true hope, wood, worship

      A Tottering Idol

  – Isaiah 40:18-20, “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, a goldsmith plates it with gold, and a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skilled craftsman to prepare an idol that will not totter.” 

  In the blog “Even Though…” from a few weeks back, we discussed how the children of Israel worshiped a golden calf while eating the provision of God (manna). Although we did not discuss the fact that the Israelite people gave the gold of their earrings to be used for the idol, we read it. The provision that God had given them when they left Egypt, they threw away on an idol they asked Aaron to fashion for them. God had given them a savings account to buy whatever they needed in The Promised Land and they blew it in servitude to something that only God Himself could provide.

  Every idol we choose to serve takes God’s provision from us as opposed to serving God Who continually gives back to us. Have you ever heard the phrase “you can’t out give God”? It’s true. But, an idol will take everything you have… and then some.

  In Isaiah 40, the Lord tells His people that the gold and silver that He provided is nothing compared to Him. They molded the provision of the Lord into objects of worship and ignored the “real deal” of God Himself. Even those who could not afford gold, silver or another precious medal, went out to the woods and gathered pieces of trees to give to a skilled craftsman. He then fashioned it into an object that “would not totter” for them to worship.

  Once again, we see people taking from the provision of God and shaping it into objects of worship that were never intended. We have to remind ourselves to thank God for His provision, but also to thank Him for His character. We have to make sure that we want God Himself and not what He can do for us. He is not a genie in a bottle. He is God Almighty, worthy of ALL praise.

    Isaiah 40, verse 20 says that wood was fashioned into an idol that would “not totter”. An object that “does not totter” would take skill, would it not? What would you prop it up with? At first, I’m sure the wood itself would be stable enough to withstand the elements. A little wind, a little rain…no problem. But, as time wore on and the rains kept coming, what could be used to prop up the idol then? Would it take a few more pieces of wood? Would a few nails have to be driven into a more sound structure? Would you cunningly place flowers all around to hide the props? After all, what would your family and friends think if the item you worship is falling to the ground?

  If the job God gave me is my idol, but I have been demoted, how would I prop it up? How would I spin the situation so that others would not notice that the object of my worship is now face down on the ground? How would I trick people into thinking that my job was still giving me the fulfillment that I claimed?

  If the ministry God entrusted me with is my idol, but God’s Holy Spirit is not evident, do I create emotionalism to prop it up?

  If my spouse is my idol, but my marriage is falling apart, how can I hide it? Do I get the help I need, or cover it in flowers?

 Propping up human idols is hard work, work that God never intended for us to bother with. His burden is easy and His load is light (Matthew 11). When we worship the one true God we do not have to make excuses. He does not totter. Verse 25 and 26 of Isaiah 40 says, “‘To whom then will you liken Me that I should be his equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and see who has created these…” God will not allow our idols to continue. They will topple, whether they are fashioned from gold, silver, or wood. The only true Source of strength is Jesus. The only thing worthy of our worship is our Holy God.

  There will always be rain and there will always be things in our lives that cause instability. Matthew 5 tells us that it rains on the righteous and the unrighteous. But, when we are worshiping the one true God, we become stable because He is stable. Matthew 7:24-25 says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it DID NOT FALL, for it had been founded upon the rock.” We are secure because He is our security.

  God loves us too much to allow us to worship things other than Him, things that were intended for blessing, not worship. Are we made to worship? Yes! Let’s just be sure we are worshiping the Creator and not the creation.

A performance

Tags

dream, entertainment, holiness, performance, Temple, worship

 

 

 

–A Performance–

   A few nights ago I had a dream. It started off innocently enough. My family and I were at church with all the usual suspects and we were celebrating. A few individuals had accomplished something within the community so, the church was very crowded with family and friends; some I had seen before and some I had not (you know how dreams are). People were laughing and happy and focused on celebrating what these individuals had accomplished. We were all so pleased and proud. Smiling faces were everywhere.

  As the dream went on, the production kept growing. There were a few songs with the platform crowded with people singing. Then, it grew into song after song and story after story. People were walking around, laughing and joking having a very pleasurable time. The church was packed everywhere I went. People were standing around the pews, crowded in the back area. Everywhere there was a spot, there was a person. The hallways were even teeming with people.

  In my dream as I walked from the back of the church into the auditorium, I heard a prominent figure tell a bawdy joke about someone. I remember at that point I said out loud, “You are kidding me, right?” I began to grow really angry. I felt my body begin to shake with rage. But, the people thought I was part of the act and kept laughing. The entertainment kept growing and growing until there were literally feathers and costumes and a huge production of something related to Star Wars. I was asked by one individual if I wanted to join in and I said, “No”.

  He said, “Oh, you’re not a Star Wars fan?”

  I replied, “I am, just not on a Sunday morning.”

  I remember walking around getting angrier and angrier. ‘How could this have been allowed on a Sunday morning?’ I thought, ‘Aren’t we here to worship the Lord’? I was still literally shaking with anger. I could not believe we were doing this! How could this have happened? When were things allowed to get out of hand? I kept searching for the pastor, the deacons…anyone who could explain the chaos to me. I just could not believe that we had allowed this to happen. How had things gotten so out of control?

  It was all so bizarre! I woke up and thought, “What in the world was that about?” I laid there in bed remembering all the craziness and began to ask God very timidly, “Is that how You see our services? Are we just performing things? Are we there only for our own entertainment? Are You shaking in anger as you look at us each week?”

  I was reminded of Jesus in the Temple in Mark 11. The Word tells us that Jesus drove out those who were not there to worship. When He saw the mockery of His Temple, the place where true worship was supposed to occur, the Scriptures tell us that He cleaned out the thievery and the hypocrisy. The Temple must have seemed like a production to Him, a sideshow, (there were definitely feathers).   

  Is this what Jesus wants to do in our church? Does He want to teach us what entertainment versus worship is? Is He asking our spirits each week, ‘How did you let it get like this?’ Is He angry with what we call worship?

  Oh, I am convicted. I am convicted and frustrated with myself for letting my focus be on things other than my Lord each Sunday. I sometimes go into a service with the best of intentions, but then I focus on announcements or, a word that was said in the hallway or, any other distraction. By the time I am called to corporate worship, I am looking for how it is affecting me, not my Lord.

  I think of the soldiers at the foot of the Cross gambling for Jesus’ cloak. In the shadow of the greatest sacrifice of all time, their focus was on what they could get out of it. They were fighting and grasping for how they could reap some kind of benefit. They had no clue that the true reward was within their grasp. They were on their knees, but they were on their knees in the wrong direction!

  Am I? Am I on my knees, but still worshiping the wrong thing?

  The soldiers focus was on the wrong thing, so they missed the greatest thing.

  Each week, do I lose the thrill of worshiping my Savior because I have allowed the entertainment of the day to crowd in?

  God tells me in I Peter to “Be ye holy as I am holy”, but my only thoughts are often of me. I agree with Paul in Romans 7, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”

 The encouraging thing about Mark 11 and Romans 7 is that there is hope. Mark 11 does show us that in one swipe of Jesus’ hand, things can be put back to the way that God would have them to be. With one entrance of our holy God, the Temple was on good ground was again. It was cleaned through and through, at least for a time. The passage in Romans 7 also goes on to tell us that through Jesus we can be set free.

  So, why do I let the shackles still rub my skin raw? Why do I continue to crave entertainment instead of worship?

  Oh, I need the hand of God! I need Him to sweep through my home, my church and my very being to make me into the clean vessel that I am called to be, a vessel that craves the One, True God and not a cheap imitation for entertainment.

  Now there was also another part of my dream that was convicting… the crowd. People were everywhere! The more entertainment I saw, the happier the crowd became.

  Will our church have crowds like that when Jesus turns us from our entertainment to Himself? Somehow I doubt it (at least in the beginning). Will the people around me be okay if after the sweep of God, we aren’t as “entertained”? What if our corporate worship is truly about God and not about us? Are we okay with that? Will I truly be satisfied when the focus is off of self and onto God?

 Being holy as God is holy will require leaving the entertainment behind. Am I willing to do that? If God truly sees a performance instead of worship, what am I willing to do about it? Am I going to let things go on as they are so that people will leave happy and impressed or, am I willing to do the hard thing and pray UNTIL there is a mighty move of God to whatever direction he has for us? Do I want God or, my entertainment?     

  These were not easy thoughts to wake up to that morning. This crazy dream has caused me to really look at our church and the unnecessary things that go on to make us comfortable. There is way too much entertainment and not enough focus on our Lord. But, am I going to start a riot? No. I am called to pray and when God decides the timing is right He will come with a riot of His own. He loves us too much to allow the entertainment to continue. He loves us too much to not call us to His side in tender rebuke. He loves us too much to allow us to gamble in the shadow of true Redemption. He loves us too much to be entertained.

 

Even Though

Tags

faithfulness, false gods, idols, manna

 

 

Even Though…

 

   Exodus 32:1-5 says, “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron, and said to him, ‘Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And Aaron said to them, ‘Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, your daughters, and bring them to me.’ Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’”

   Familiarity with this passage can sometimes lead us to pass over nuggets that the Lord has left for us. Over the last few hours, I have literally seen five or six new things in this Scripture that I have never noticed before. I love that about the Word of God. God’s Word never changes, but it is alive and active. It is like a diamond in that when the Holy Spirit shines His light upon it, a new facet is discovered. How can we tire of something so amazing?

  In Bertha Smith’s book “How the Spirit Filled My Life”, she says this regarding the passage above, “Not only had the calf been made, but sacrifices had been offered to it. The Israelites, who were daily eating the bread from heaven, gave God’s glory to that calf.”

  I confess I had never thought about the fact that the Israelites were STILL receiving manna during this extreme act of idolatry. Was this true? Was God still providing sustenance to the Israelites while sin was running rampant through the camp?

  In Exodus 16, we read where God began to provide manna for His people. He states clearly that manna would fall from heaven each morning as dew. The people would gather enough for the day every morning, except on the sixth day. On this day, they would gather twice as much in order to observe the Sabbath. At times, God provided meat, but overall, manna was the constant provision of the LORD God.

  In Joshua 5:12, we see where God stops the manna. Was He tired of providing? No, the Israelites had started eating the fruit of The Promised Land so manna was no longer necessary. He was still providing, but in a totally different way. Their time in the desert was over.

  Obviously, Exodus 32 is between these Scriptures. So, manna is still on the ground. The people of God are still being provided for during Moses’ absence. I have always thought that there must not have been a word from the Lord during this time, but there clearly was. Every time the manna fell each morning, God was assuring His people that He was faithful. He was assuring them that He was still in control and had their needs met before they woke up each day.  He was assuring them that even without Moses, they still had a relationship with Him. They were His people.

  As they came up with their plan to create a new god we have to wonder, “Where did they think the manna had come from that very morning?”

  Exodus 32, verse 6 tells us that the people sat down to eat and drink in celebration of their new found god. What did they eat and drink? They were literally drinking and eating what their true God had provided. Mind boggling, isn’t it? They were plainly holding in their hands the provision of God Himself yet, they were worshipping an idol. Not any idol, but an idol they had created themselves. They literally saw it formed before their very eyes, but they still served it.

  It’s astounding, truly, until I stop and think about my own life. I confess that I have done the same. I have prayed for ministry opportunities and when given those opportunities I have, like Aaron, taken God’s provision into my hands and “fashioned it with a graven tool into a molten calf” (verse4). I have crafted things into my image instead of the image of Christ. I have wanted things to look a certain way, be a certain way, and feel a certain way (and by certain, I mean my way). I have molded and crafted and shaped things into gods in one hand while eating from His provision in the other.  

  I have created other gods as well. False gods like fear, when all around me the one true God has provided perfect safety.

  Another false god has often been self, even while acknowledging any talent or skill has been provided by my Father.

  I have created the god of pride while quoting Scriptures about how there is nothing good in me.

  I could list god after god against provision after provision.

  He is ever faithful. He is ever Provider. Even when I choose to use that provision as a god, He is still Sustainer. He still provides sustenance when I am clearly following my own god. He is still the ever present Helper in trouble. He is still the Great I Am. He is still the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is still God alone.

  As we go about our day today may we be ever mindful of what we are worshiping; may we see clearly that everything we take for granted is provided by God alone.  

 Remind us, Lord. Remind us that You alone provide ALL things. You alone sustain and are ever faithful. Bring us to repentance where needed and fill us with You, replace us with You. May our every thought be of You, in Jesus’ Name.

 

A Call to Shepherd

Tags

calling, flock, green pastures, influence, shepherd, water

 

A Call to Shepherd

 

 – “Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you should foul the rest with your feet? As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet, and they must drink what you foul with your feet!”         

  This quote is found in Ezekiel 34:18 and 19. This passage is dealing with shepherds who are not caring for their sheep in the way that God has called them. Too often in the past I have read through this, said, “amen, get them Ezekiel” and went on my merry way. In reality, all of us have a flock to shepherd. In reality, I am just as accountable as my pastor to shepherd the flock that I have been given. My flock may seem slight to some, but it is the flock that I have been entrusted with and God expects me and has enabled me to shepherd them under His leadership. Just so we are clear, I am NOT a pastor, but some of my flock includes two boys, a group called the W.M.U. at our church and a homeschool group that I help in a nearby community. This blog community is a flock as well. ANY area that God has given us ANY type of influence is our flock.

 

   So many times I have set my alarm early so that I could get a word from God, but then as the day has wore on I have not cared what others around me have eaten from God’s Word. As long as I have been fed, all is well. I confess I have been okay with that. I have felt that as long as “me and mine” are filled and healthy (physically and spiritually) then all is well. After all, I’m a very busy person and I have my own to think of, right? I never realized until this morning that sometimes I have been guilty of trampling the pasture of others around me so that all they get are muddy leftovers. I have been guilty of fouling up the Living Water that should be offered cleanly through me to others.  I have a God-given responsibility to shepherd the flock that God has given me. As I picture Ezekiel 34:18-19 once again, I see how often God has led me to the still water and green pasture as described in Psalm 23, but what have I done? I have stewed and worried and fretted about things that He has already taken care of. Instead of being an encouragement to someone, I have muddied the water. I have trampled the green into a muddy mess. I think of times when our pastor has given us a goal and I’m already making excuses for not reaching the goal. I think of times when someone has told me about a health situation and I tell them doctor’s recommendations instead of covering them in prayer and sending them Scripture throughout the situation. Stomp, stomp, stomp. Trample, trample, trample.

  More so than our obvious flocks, we also have a responsibility to the flock at large. Ezekiel 34:1-8 describes God’s view on shepherds who have not helped the broken and searched for the lost. It is NOT good. He expects US shepherds to go in search for the lost sheep, to nurture and support the diseased and broken. It is not certain shepherd’s responsibilities. It is all shepherds’ responsibility to do so.

     I am left with several questions to ponder today. The first one, “Do I realize that I am a shepherd? Do I know that God is conforming me into the image of His Son who was and is the Great Shepherd?” My flock looks different than anyone else’s, but that doesn’t mean I am not a shepherd. Do I understand that in the core of my being?

  Secondly, “Am I muddying the water for others?” In other words, as long as I am getting filled do I still care about others? Am I leading my flock to drink, or stirring up a mess? Am I encouraging others or, stomping their nourishment into the ground?

   Thirdly, “What am I going to do about it?”

    As we ponder these questions today, let us pray that God would reveal to us the flocks that we have been entrusted with. Let’s pray that as God reveals our spheres of influences that we would take the leadership role that He has designed for us and follow our Shepherd to the still waters of each moment. As we are being led, let us remember that we have a line of sheep following in our path. Precious sheep that our Savior chose to die for. Let us also remember that there are other sheep that are not following, but need to be tended and searched for.

  Let us stop trampling the green pasture. Let us eat freely in the arms of our Shepherd trusting that the grass is not greener on the other side, but knowing that peace is found only in His Presence, and may we shepherd others to do the same.

Infection

Tags

bitterness, doctors, healing, Holy Spirit, Infection, medical, thumbs

Infection

–       Infection, poison, bacteria, these are not things I like to think about. In fact, I avoid discussions regarding medical issues as much as possible. Maybe that’s why it took my oldest son a whole year at college to figure out it might be a field he enjoys! So, why would I want to bring it up now? Why discuss an issue I avoid at all cost?

Last week, my right thumb (yes, I am right-handed) started feeling tender. I thought I must have bumped it on something, but for the life of me I could not remember doing so. No big deal, right? I continued on my merry way never dreaming of the poison teeming under my skin. By the time I went to the doctor five days later, I had quite an infection that hampered me in ways I never imagined. After all, it’s just my thumb, right? The pain crippled my whole body and at that point it was a matter of getting out what had developed from a microscopic issue that wreaked havoc.

Hmmm…surely there is nothing in the church body that I could relate to this, is there? Surely there is nothing I could possibly think of in my own life that I have let seep down into the marrow and wreak havoc?

Hebrews 12:15, says, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;”

Any root, any infectious seed of bitterness toward someone can cause in my spiritual life what happened in the physical. Think about it, when we allow a word, an unkind look, a thought to take root, that seed, that core, that infection can grow to massive proportions. Believe me, it is never worth it.

On Thursday, or even Friday, if I had taken the initiative to go to my doctor, I would have never felt the pain that I felt the next week.

Bitterness is the same way. If I take an issue immediately to the Savior and say, “I am so upset. Please don’t allow me to let this issue to go into my life and cause harm,” He will help me. Psalm 62:8 tells us to pour out our heart to God. He is a refuge to us. We are not our own power source. Only God can do this. II Corinthians 10:5, tells us to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. We have got to ask the Holy Spirit to take those thoughts from our minds and place them into the hands of Jesus. Not just once, but EVERY TIME the issue pops up.

But, as I’ve already told you, I did not go to the doctor early, I waited. By the time I went to the doctor, I could not function normally. Tasks that normally would have taken no effort were impossible. I tried to do things with four fingers, but let me tell you, opposable thumbs are a big a deal! Then, the pain was just so bad, I couldn’t even try.

The Body of Christ is the same way. We try to function around someone or something that is infected but we cannot do the same things that we were made to do. God placed certain parts (people) in our church for certain tasks that only they can do, but when there is infection, the tasks cannot be completed. We might get by for a while, but eventually the pain is so unbearable that the whole Body is affected.

What do you do when you wait? What do you do when the infection has built up and the pain is unbearable and you don’t even want to address the issue because it is overwhelming? You see that the whole Body is affected, but what do you do?

You still go to your Great Physician. You still pour your heart out to Him. Is it painful? Yes. Is it necessary? Yes. To be completely healed all of the infection must leave. The process will be longer because the root is deeper, but we want to be healthy, so we lay it out for the Holy Spirit to draw out the filth and heal us to the marrow of our bones.

Proverbs 12:12, says, “…the root of the righteous yields fruit.” Jesus told us to bear fruit and that we will be known by our fruit. We cannot hide our infection no matter how tightly we wrap it up. No matter how much padding I had on my thumb, if you had touched it, I would have cried. Why? It was unhealthy. No matter how tightly we wrap our roots of infection, of bitterness, if someone touches our “sore spot”, everyone will know it. The Body of Christ cannot function this way. I Corinthians tells us that we are all fitly joined together in the design that our Savior has created. If one of us hurts, we all hurt. If one of us is infected, we are all infected.

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to purify and restore us. Let’s allow Him to prick our hearts regarding deep-seated prejudice, strife and gnawing relationship issues. Let’s pray for Him to draw out the poison that has been sucking the very life out of our families and churches and whatever we do let us not close up our own wounds, but allow our Savior in His time and when He says we are healed, to bind us up and restore us as whole brothers and sisters in Christ.

Shoo! Who knew that a throbbing thumb could teach?