As I was driving through town this morning on my way to church, I couldn’t help but think of the gods (notice the small g) people have in their lives and justify them. Think about it. We may not have statues, but we all certainly have things that we put before God. There’s some who say “God understands if I can’t meet with the body of Christ, I have a business to run!” while others may say “The kids have sports, surely God understands” whereas someone else would say “I practice and observe God in my own way,” while remaining completely isolated from the Body of Christ.
This has always existed; just read through Kings, Chronicles and the Prophets. But in the age of technology and social media, it’s become more apparent. We haven’t advanced, we’ve just found new ways to occupy our time. We may not sacrifice our kids to Molech (some do, but that’s a different topic), but there are Preachers and church leaders, businessmen and students who say “Right now, I have to focus on my career.” We work to provide above and beyond what is needed for our children, outsource our child care, then grow old and wonder why we’re alone. Or we sacrifice our time, treasures and talents on the altar of building a business or making a name for ourselves. We say “God understands” (when, in fact, he DOES NOT, just read Nehemiah and the Prophets who talked about Sabbath breaking), and we sacrifice fellowship and worship for the sake of another day on the bottom line. Or, we sacrifice what’s in front of us for the need of escape. Through phones, computers, and entertainment, we can often miss out on who and what is right in front of us.
The fact is, God said “you shall have no other gods before Me,” and while I’m not calling for legalism in any way, He also said “you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength,” and Jesus added (a command that already was given by God) to this great command: love your neighbor as yourself. All of the Law and Prophets, Jesus says, hinge on these two commands. Anything we put before this is idolatry. We don’t have to build images of wood, gold, or stone to worship the work of our hands. We don’t have to build anything at all, we can just devote our time, treasures and talents to other things.
When we worship God with all of our heart, mind, and soul, everything comes in to focus. We love our families as we ought, because they are gifts He has given us, and stewardship He has appointed. We do our business, our ministries, and everything else in the right perspective, because we’re not trying to appease God, we’re trying to be good stewards of what He has granted us, and that includes taking rest to focus on Him and others. Seek first the Kingdom of God, friends, and His righteousness. Then all these things will be added unto you.
Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Mark 12:28-34
“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.”
Colossians 3:1-17
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
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