Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Psalm 115

Not to us, O Lord. Not to us but to your Name be the glory...

What are you worried about? What has you upset? I recently heard Steven Curtis Chapman say after losing his daughter in an accident that he wasn't really getting all worked up about driving a safer car with a back-up camera He couldn't place fault on a car. When we place blame or credit to anything beside the One who deserves it I think we're dabbling in idolatry.

Only God is sovereign. If I'm upset about the economy, then something in me is giving it more credit than it is due. If I'm mad about the president, then I'm granting him more power than he really has in my life. If I'm going nuts (happy, sad, or mad) about a sports team or player, then I'm placing them higher than they should be. If I'm fired up about my job (I'm often guilty), then I'm putting it in a higher place than it deserves. If I obessessively follow a celebrity (even a minister), same thing.

God is alone in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. He in in complete control and nothing else deserves the kind of acknowledgement and recognition we should give Him. People like to defend their idol by saying it's no big deal, or it's OK for them to be obsessed with it, or it's just a hobby, or it's just reality, or it's being a patriotic citizen.

I would only ask this. If someone videoed you talking about that topic or your love for Christ, which one would be more animated? Or if you chronicled your time for a month, who would come out on top? (Especially if you can't count church busyness in the God column.) I really think idolatry is a super huge blind spot for the American church. We have forgotten what it's like to worship God alone. We don't notice how much glory with give to others. We forget where our salvation comes from, who made us, and for what purpose. I want to track down every last one in my life and shatter it. Not just decrease its influence or shorten my time devoted to it, remove it completely.

1 comments:

Bea said...

I teach a class that encourages people to evaluate how they spend time. After logging your time for a few weeks, you can see how 'balanced' your life is. Work, family, pleasure, sleep, etc. God should get HIS fair share of our time. Give HIM equal time that you spend on your fav? Hope He is your fav.