Chapter 17
HIS SUPERIORITY OVER YOUR SUBSTITUTES
Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
1 JOHN 5:21 NIV
158 Flee from Idolatry (1)
God insists on loyalty. Always has. Always will. He isn’t satisfied to be in your top five favorite things in life.
He won’t share His throne with any rivals. He forbids having other gods before Him or making an idol in the form of any created thing (Exodus 20:3-4).
His demands shouldn’t seem strange. I know a man who delivered P-cola. He couldn’t drink C-cola.
Seeing a P-driver down an ice-cold C isn’t a good advertisement for P. What kind of advertisement is it when you pay more attention to things and other people than Him?
Your “images,” purchases, thought life and use of time reveal God’s rivals. They highlight your priorities.
The images could be pictures hanging on your walls or pasted into an album. They might be coin collections, cars, or awards.
They might be trophies, mounted animals, or fish. They could be your place on the ladder of success. The material things around you define what you value.
God isn’t against fun and feeling good. He created you with the capacity to enjoy Him and the things He’s made.
He richly provides you with everything for your enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17). If you walk the path God sets before you, He’ll fill you with joy and eternal pleasures (Psalm 16:11).
The issue is whether you’ll walk the path God sets before you or your own. Will you trust His judgment? Will you pretend you know better than He what will make you happy?
Idolatry strolls into your life. It enters through the wide-open door of living for pleasure independently of God.
You naturally put “things” on the throne intended for Him alone. You worship and serve them instead of Him.
You ignore the Giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). You love His gifts instead of Him with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). You naturally love pleasure more than you love God (2 Timothy 3:4).
Americans spend money like they love pleasure far more than God. They spent 646 billion on outdoor recreation in 2010.
That’s more than five times what they gave to their churches in 2009.1 Preoccupation with pleasure decreases the time available to nurture your spiritual life or to minister to others.
You can overcome pleasure’s attraction through the self-control the Holy Spirit provides (Galatians 5:23). You have God’s promise that whenever you face temptation, He faithfully provides a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Expect Him to give you that way of escape. Look for it.2
Identify God’s rivals based on your “images,” purchases, thoughts when you’re free to think about anything, and how you use your time.
Read 2 Corinthians 9.
159 Flee from Idolatry (2)
Heroes embody your ideals. They’re already what you’d like to be. Hero selection changes through time. It reveals what matters most to you.
Your heroes are your dreams with skin on them. They come in two categories—faith heroes and other kinds.
Imitating faith heroes will move you toward God. Hebrews 11 lists heroes who by their faith overcame life’s obstacles. Imitating other kinds of heroes moves you away from God.
You become progressively more like whatever you worship. Few look up to moral heroes like the apostle Paul. He challenged the Philippians to practice what they’d learned, received, heard from, or seen in him (Philippians 4:9).
Instead, you naturally select those who have admirable but not necessarily godly qualities. The best defense against idolatry is to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1). Follow someone who follows the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Hero worship sprays gasoline on the fires of your self-centered dreams. It suggests they’re attainable and worthy of pursuit.
You worship what you wish you were. You hope that others will adore you when your dreams become reality.
Like Satan, you want a portion of the glory that’s God’s alone. God said He won’t give His glory to another or His praise to idols (Isaiah 42:8).
I spent years channeling my time and energy toward academic and athletic goals. I was a slave to them. Goals were my gods. They demanded the best of my time, talents, thoughts, and finances.
You take yourself out of God’s game when you give your life to earthly goals. God designed you to live for what will outlast you. Paul described this way of life as setting your heart and mind on things above, not earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2).
Idolatry enters your life through your insecurities. You compensate for your lack of trust in God by constructing your “protective” walls.
Mostly, you trust money to protect you. Paul labels greed to accumulate more as idolatry (Colossians 3:5).
Jesus said you can’t serve God and money (Matthew 6:24). Your heart and treasure live together.1
How is hero worship, goal achievement, or financial security interfering with your becoming the person God wants you to be? Read 2 Corinthians 10.
160 Flee from Idolatry (3)
If you lived in the United States in September 2020, you had almost a 30 percent chance of COVID-related depression. If you were struggling economically, there was nearly a 50 percent chance.1
Where are you looking for hope? Is your deliverer a face mask, adequate ventilation, social distancing, a check from the federal government, a vaccine, your bank account, or a political leader?
It would be best if you addressed threats intelligently. But you also need God’s wisdom to explore the underlying reasons for your depression. I’m suggesting the real problem is that you might be trusting untrustworthy substitutes for God to deliver you.
Your idolatry is more obvious to others than it is to you. It torpedoed and sank Israel’s national ship more than 2,500 years ago.
Idolatry isn’t irrelevant today. An idol is a replacement for God. You recruit it because you think He’s inadequate to meet your needs and give you what you want.
You think it will protect, fulfill, and energize you. You hope it will provide joy, satisfaction, and contentment. Behind the scenes, self-satisfaction and doing life your way are your idols.
God promises that if you put Him and His purposes first, He’ll meet your needs (Matthew 6:33). You’ll experience a full and meaningful life (John 10:10) that no God-substitute can provide. Are you living like you believe that?
Trusting God’s promises appears risky. It seems safer to depend on political leaders for deliverance and material things for security. It’s not.
The most common substitute for God is money. It’s a powerful tool to get what you want. You can’t serve it and God (Matthew 6:24). Money talks. But it’s often “idol-chatter.”
If your defining passion on earth is something other than loving and serving God, you’re guilty of idolatry. You’re commanded to flee from it (1 Corinthians 10:14).
Join with David and declare: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2 NIV).
What idols are whispering in your ear and distracting you from fully listening to and trusting God? Read 2 Corinthians 11.
161 Pie Plate Spirituality
About 27 percent of people in the United States are spiritual but not religious. About 48 percent are both.1
Do you compartmentalize spirituality? How much does it affect your daily life? Like a pillow on the sofa, it might have its place. Is it a minor part of the décor? For the spiritual and religious that might mean attending religious meetings one to eight hours a month.
For the spiritual but not religious it might include sporadically thinking about a higher power. It happens when encountering the Grand Canyon.
It occurs with the yellow-orange-red explosions of autumn foliage. It strikes when experiencing other awe-inspiring aspects of the natural world.
Is God just one piece of the pie of your existence? Other pieces include family, work, recreation, health, home, finances, relationships, and education.
I confess I’ve thought that way about life. By God’s grace, I don’t anymore. Why?
Such thinking is a symptom of a life that’s all about me. Virtuous self-centered living is raw idolatry in a tuxedo or evening gown.
I’m suggesting it’s healthier to think of God, not as a piece of the pie, but as the pie plate of life. “Whatever you do (emphasis, mine), work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23–24 NIV).
God doesn’t want to be a piece of your life. He wants to be the center of it.
What is the next step to make your family, work, recreation, health, home, finances, relationships, and education all more God-centered and God-honoring?
Read 2 Corinthians 12.
162 White Flag of Victory
A boy’s hobby was collecting coins. He often showed them off to other kids in the community.
He had one coin that was far more valuable than the others. He didn’t let the other kids see it. He feared someone might take it.
One day as he was walking in the neighborhood, he saw a girl with a bag of chocolate bars. He wanted the candy badly.
He offered her his coin collection for it. She accepted.
He didn’t give her his special coin. She didn’t need to know about that.
You’re like him, aren’t you? You want the chocolate—God’s presence, forgiveness of your sins, abundant life, answered prayers, Jesus with you always, and the glories of heaven.
Like the boy, you struggle to give up everything for it. Your sinful nature agrees with the Enemy’s lie that you can’t trust God. (Genesis 3:1).
God knows what you’re holding back and why (Hebrews 4:13). He knows you’re afraid you can’t live without your special coin.
You’re unwilling to wave the white flag of complete surrender. It’s a trust problem.
You can trust the One who sacrificed His Son for you (John 3:16). The Father offered to provide whatever you need through Him (Romans 8:32).
What is that prized coin in your pocket? Is it the driver’s seat of your life?
You won’t have peace as long as you cling to it. You can’t serve two masters.
That special coin has a grip on you tighter than your grip on it. When you wave the white flag of surrender furiously, your hand won’t be able to cling to lesser things.
Waving the white flag releases you from the special coin’s prison. If you’re like me, that sounds very freeing right now. But you’ll have to learn it all over again tomorrow!
How is the special coin in your life hindering you from fulfilling God’s purpose for you? Read 2 Corinthians 13.
163 Are We There Yet?
Kids ask, “Are we there yet?” when traveling and anxious to get to the beach. I can be like that too.
I want to get somewhere and be someone that I’m not yet. God usually has a different itinerary and journey’s end in mind. He’s more interested in developing my trust in Him than arriving somewhere by a course I’ve charted.
Before I drive to a place I’ve never been, I get directions from Google Maps. I want the big picture of the route numbers and streets. I write down the directions and take them with me.
God doesn’t give me the big-picture directions I covet. He directs step-by-step one turn at a time. It’s on a need-to-know basis.
Sometimes it’s hard to get even that much out of Him. I wonder what to do next.
God’s leadership style encourages me to stay close. I must continue listening to and trusting in Him.
God sent Samuel to Jesse in Bethlehem. He was to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king.
God could’ve told him to anoint David, initially. But He didn’t (1 Samuel 16:1).
Samuel saw seven of Jesse’s sons pass before him. He concluded he wasn’t to anoint any of them (1 Samuel 16:10). Finally, when David arrived, the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one” (1 Samuel 16:12 NIV).
He had to sense God’s direction eight times instead of once. God’s leading doesn’t always add up while it’s happening.
It usually makes more sense years later. You can ask, “Are we there yet?” but it’s best to keep quiet and trust the Driver.
God leads one step at a time. How close to Him do you need to be daily? Read Galatians 1.
164 What Are You Doing Today?
Since I retired, my wife sometimes asks about my agenda for the day. I might tell her I’m working in the garden. Sometimes I tell her I’m writing a blog.
In warmer weather, it might be mowing the grass. Occasionally, it’s picking up sticks in the yard.
It might be preparing a Bible study. It could even be fishing in the Susquehanna River.
You plan your day, but then life happens. My wife never laughs when I tell her my plans. I suspect God does!
Unanticipated events, phone calls, text messages, and encounters with people can put your plans on the back burner. That’s how God’s agenda bumps “what you’re doing today” out of the way.
If you’re like me, you can easily miss those divine interruptions. You think you don’t have time for them. Those intrusions transport you from “chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14) to accomplishing God’s purposes for today.
God brought Saul to Samuel to anoint him ruler over Israel (1 Samuel 9:16). Saul thought he was looking for his father’s lost donkeys (1 Samuel 9:3). Meanwhile, God was paving a life-interrupting change of direction—becoming Israel’s first king.
Sometimes God’s interruptions are minor like traffic lights. They temporarily stop you to help someone.
Sometimes, they’re like an unexpected detour that takes you away from your agenda to do something else. Sometimes, God’s interruptions change your destination entirely.
Farmers become kings or seminary professors. Biologists or professional athletes become pastors.
Every day believers become missionaries in their places of employment without changing their addresses. What are you doing today? Maybe not!
When has God interrupted your plans? What happened?
Read Galatians 2.
165 Divine Appointments
Today’s agenda includes mulching blueberry plants and picking up sticks in the backyard. Then I must prepare to paint part of the house. After that, I’ll water my vegetable plants.
I must also write a blog. I will review my notes to teach my Wednesday night Bible class.
I will trim weeds around the house. I will coach at a home track and field meet. The truth is I didn’t complete all those items.
Interrupted agendas punctuate my life. Last week our toilet wasn’t working properly. My wife asked me to fix it.
My daughter asked me to kill a spider in her room. My grandkids asked me to do various activities with them.
I interrupted completing my original agenda by adding and completing additional jobs. That’s life!
God overrules my agenda. I planned to be a biologist for the Pennsylvania Fish Commission until I retired. Overruled!
I planned to be the Associate for Discipleship for the Eastern Regional Conference until I retired. Overruled!
I had dreams of being an Olympic athlete. Overruled! The list goes on.
When I was in my twenties, people who interrupted or overruled my agenda irritated me. I still experience remnants of that irritation.
In my better moments, I realize opportunities hide behind the interruptions. When I meet others’ needs, I’m loving my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:35-39).
You’re on earth to love God and others. You’re here to help them complete God’s agendas for them.
Real life is in the interruptions. It’s not in completing your agenda! Interruptions are often divine appointments. That puts interrupting and overruling your agenda in perspective.
When did God interrupt your agenda with a divine appointment to collaborate with Him to meet someone’s pressing need?
Read Galatians 3.
166 Name of Fame
Where is the major place you want your name to appear? My name has never been in the lights. I’m more likely in “Who’s That?” than “Who’s Who.”
Not being named in Wikipedia isn’t a terrible thing. I don’t assume life would be better if I were a celebrated superstar.
At one time, Taylor Swift had at least 85.6 million Twitter followers. Cristiano Ronaldo had more than 189 million Instagram followers.
Twitter, Instagram or Facebook followers aren’t the measures of my worth. I’ve spent too much time trying to prove my worth. Have you done the same?
Life is most fulfilling when I’m meeting others’ needs. Giving energizes me more than receiving (Acts 20:35).
It shifts my life into joy gear. Engraving my name on people’s hearts is better than seeing it on a marquee, on Wikipedia, or in “Who’s Who.”
Have you experienced the same benefits of upside-down, others-focused living aligned with Jesus’ agenda? His disciples demonstrate they belong to Him by their love for other believers (John 13:34–35).
The deeds of the kings of Israel and Judah were written in the book of the Annals of the Kings (for example, 1 Kings 14:19). Their deeds mattered.
Yours do too. God records all you say and do. You’ll have to explain every careless word you’ve spoken (Matthew 12:36).
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Revelation 20:12 NIV).
Your name appearing in the Book of Life is eternally, supremely valuable. That’s the name of fame that counts.
How does the pursuit of fame distract from what is most important? What adjustments do you need to make? Read Galatians 4.
167 What Is in the Center?
What’s in your hamburger bun? Burger King rolled out the Impossible Burger on April 1, 2019.
Restaurants and supermarkets nationwide sell plant-based meat. I’m curious. But I haven’t “bitten” yet.
This new product has its critics. They question how healthy it is. That’s because of how highly processed it is and the effect of the GMOs it contains.
Others defend it. They say it’s at least as healthy as eating beef. It causes less harm to the environment.
What’s in your hamburger bun impacts the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere significantly over time.
Similarly, what’s in the center of your life critically affects your and others’ quality of life now and forever. There are only two applicants for the job—your agenda and God’s agenda.
Your agenda in the center is the norm. Its P-drivers are pleasure, possessions, and pride (1 John 2:16).
It’s not best for you or others for the long haul. Keeping God’s agenda in the center is a daily choice (Romans 12:1). It is Christ-centered living.
A level measures whether a structure is horizontal or vertical. You adjust your work until the bubble floats in the middle of a tube of colored liquid when you place the level on the structure.
Jesus Christ is the bubble in a Christian's life. You adjust every aspect of your life to keep Him in the center.
You raise your standards. You lower your resistance to submissive obedience. Whatever it takes!
He must be supreme in every area of your life (Colossians 1:18). What’s in the center makes an incredible difference in the short and long haul.
Remind yourself at least three times today that keeping Christ at the center of your life benefits you and others over the short and long haul.
Read Galatians 5.