Charles Spurgeon once said, “Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties”. The great author and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis stated, “But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world”. Jesus Himself attested to this truth when He said, “In this world you will have tribulation.”
Life can be undeniably difficult. Life in Christ is freeing…liberating…a journey with hope. Yet we cannot escape from the unsettling truth that this same life is dotted with multiple and various trials. It is in those periods of “the valley walk” where the depth of our faith is tested.
One year ago tonight, every fiber of my faith was tested.
My comfortable, clean version of “Pastoral Faith” was being called out; to be live out; demanding a public demonstration of what I’ve been preaching. I will spare the details as they are not important but what is important is that we fully grasp the truth that at some point, at some time, in some way what you believe about faith, spirituality, and Christ will be placed in the kiln of adversity.
For you, this difficulty may be living with the news recently received from the doctor. Maybe it is trying to comprehend how the money will outlast the month. For some, their story of the storm is walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Others experience the pain of losing their job and are left feeling desperate and fearful.
It will happen. Adversity will call your name. Here are a few things my family and I have learned over this past year and I hope it will encourage you. When the hard times come…
Remember, God is Sovereign. God is who He says He is. Fundamental to coping with your crisis is having a sure, strong view of God. In other words, can He be trusted? His word says so. His word states emphatically that God is absolutely sovereign. Our adversity has already been filtered through the infinite mind of a Holy God who is passionately in love with us-nothing will ever separate us from Him! And if He is for us, who/what can be against us?
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38
Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand! Deut. 32:39
Remember, God’s grace is all-sufficient. Hard times can sap the spiritual fortitude from the best of us. Often our difficulties leave us feeling disheartened and disillusioned. Yet it is in those weary times God’s grace comes beside us, refuses us with Holy strength to hope again. And here’s the amazing thing; it’s in these times that the gospel and glory of Jesus is so richly displayed in us.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. II Corinthians 12:7-9
Remember, God is the Defender and Source. No matter what man says or does, it is God’s view and support of us that matters. Don’t place your value in the opinions and actions of others. People are broken and messed up and they do broken and messed up things-I know because I am one! Place your hope and value in the One who is faithful and unchanging.
But God is my helper. The Lord is my defender. Psalm 54:4
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Remember, there will be a day. I know this sounds a like a spiritual cliché but it is true-the adversity will end. The storm will subside and calmer waters will return! Let the process and purpose of difficulty run its course knowing that it will end.
Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are[being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. II Corinthians 4:16-18
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. Romans 8:28
After 19 years of ministry and marriage, I can confidently state this past year was a journey of trusting God like I never have had to do. It has taught me to appreciate more my greatest earthly advocate, my wife. Without her and her support, this year would have been far more difficult to endure. This is not a path we would have chosen but God in His infinite wisdom has made beauty from our ashes. He has led us to plant a new church (www.mycommunitychurch.net). He has helped us persevere through the adoption process to where we are so close to getting our little girl from China! He has drawn our family closer together than ever before. If I had it to do over again, I’m not sure I’d change a thing.
I close with this- this past December, my family and I were visiting a local church. Though the “rawness” of our July 2010 experience had worn away, we still hurt. As church began, a Christian artist named Laura Story came on stage to lead a Christmas worship service. She was good. But her final song, “Blessings” resonated with my wife and I. Read the lyrics through the lens of your difficulty and let The Year That Was….fade into the distance of the Lord’s unending love for you.
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace, comfort for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering. All the while, You hear each spoken need yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear. We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near. We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love as if every promise from Your Word is not enough. And all the while You hear each desperate plea and long that we'd have faith to believe
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?
When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win, we know the pain reminds this heart that this is not, this is not our home. It's not our home.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen - I Peter 5:10-11
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Glorious Spectator
Few things in life bring passion to a southerner's soul as football in the south. Football is not merely a sport here- it is an event, a way of life, almost cult like in its fervor. If Sundays are reserved for the religion of church then Saturdays are devoted to the religion of college football.
There is something special about strolling around a college campus on gameday. The smell of food on the grills, the ambient noise of people tailgating under their team canopy tents, and boys and girls off in the distance running around enjoying the festivities of the day are sure signs gametime is just around the corner.
Sure the mass of humanity and snarling traffic is enough to test one's spirit but nothing will ruin this day for it is sacred and we the spectators will treat it as such. We're willing to endure much because we know the game is upon us.
Entering the stadium it is easy to be overcome with the mystique of the event. The field is bathed in brilliant sunshine. The other spectators arrive and soon you are surrounded by over 100,000 of your closest friends. So close it is almost uncomfortable. The glorious spectator is crammed into a space so small that even the most petite of person would defy its space limits. Yet, we’re eager to be here. We’ve come to honor our team whom we love.
The band plays, the players sprint on to the field and we the glorious spectators yell, jump, celebrate for hours for people we really don't know. The game ends. The spectator has given his best. Win or lose, the spectator did his part. Spent after a long day of revelry, the spectator says goodbye to his friends and journeys to his home where he will assume his other life of quiet reservation until next Saturday where he'll pick up his worship of football once again.
Right worship...wrong God.
The single greatest thing we do and become is centered in this thing called worship. Jesus said the greatest thing a person can do/be is worship-"To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind is the greatest commandment"(Matthew 22:37). Our worship is not relegated to a time, event, or location. It is not focused on a style but on a substance. It is not focused on what I receive but what I give. It encompasses my entire being-my affections, my attentions. Worship is life. And as I value more and more this thing called worship, my life and everything in it changes from the inside out.
God doesn’t seek after my worship. He seeks after worshippers-me and you (John 4:23). God will be praised. His glory will be exalted in all the earth. The question is- as He pursues you, will you be a glorious spectator of a game and give your love to another or will you be an active participant and worship the Lord Most high?
Game on.
There is something special about strolling around a college campus on gameday. The smell of food on the grills, the ambient noise of people tailgating under their team canopy tents, and boys and girls off in the distance running around enjoying the festivities of the day are sure signs gametime is just around the corner.
Sure the mass of humanity and snarling traffic is enough to test one's spirit but nothing will ruin this day for it is sacred and we the spectators will treat it as such. We're willing to endure much because we know the game is upon us.
Entering the stadium it is easy to be overcome with the mystique of the event. The field is bathed in brilliant sunshine. The other spectators arrive and soon you are surrounded by over 100,000 of your closest friends. So close it is almost uncomfortable. The glorious spectator is crammed into a space so small that even the most petite of person would defy its space limits. Yet, we’re eager to be here. We’ve come to honor our team whom we love.
The band plays, the players sprint on to the field and we the glorious spectators yell, jump, celebrate for hours for people we really don't know. The game ends. The spectator has given his best. Win or lose, the spectator did his part. Spent after a long day of revelry, the spectator says goodbye to his friends and journeys to his home where he will assume his other life of quiet reservation until next Saturday where he'll pick up his worship of football once again.
Right worship...wrong God.
The single greatest thing we do and become is centered in this thing called worship. Jesus said the greatest thing a person can do/be is worship-"To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind is the greatest commandment"(Matthew 22:37). Our worship is not relegated to a time, event, or location. It is not focused on a style but on a substance. It is not focused on what I receive but what I give. It encompasses my entire being-my affections, my attentions. Worship is life. And as I value more and more this thing called worship, my life and everything in it changes from the inside out.
God doesn’t seek after my worship. He seeks after worshippers-me and you (John 4:23). God will be praised. His glory will be exalted in all the earth. The question is- as He pursues you, will you be a glorious spectator of a game and give your love to another or will you be an active participant and worship the Lord Most high?
Game on.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Picking Up The Pieces
April 27th, 2011 is a day that will never be forgotten. There are few words that can describe the depth of destruction that unfolded in my state of Alabama yesterday afternoon. Utter helplessness….
After the debris settled, the reality of what had happened began to sink deep within the soul of the south. Even as I type this blog, I struggle putting into words just how horrific this situation is.
I will keep this short. Our churches must mobilize. We must weep with those who weep. We must serve our neighbors that are broken and pick up the broken pieces.
Our calling to help our neighbors will not end with a simple smile and a meal. We must be prepared to invest our time, finances, and very lives to those in need.
The Community Church will commit to playing a part of loving our neighbors as ourselves. Here’s what we’ll do this month…
THIS SUNDAY I am asking our BRAND NEW CHURCH family to bring the following items to help with immediate needs:
Travel size toiletries (toothpaste, tooth brush, deodorant, soap, shampoo, hand sanitizer, mouth wash) baby wipes, Capri suns (or similar box drinks), baby food in jars, formula, diapers, non-perishable snacks, and bottled water.
Information about distribution will be disseminated next week.
Remember, our 1st service at our new location is THIS SUNDAY at 4:45 PM. For directions, check out our website at
One side note: seating will be very limited this Sunday. I am asking you BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair). I know- what church makes you bring your own seat? This will only be for a short while so don’t panic! Bring your bean bag chair, lawn chair, lazy boy, whatever. Just help us out by bringing a chair!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Dive In!
I enjoy swimming. Although I am not as sleek of a swimmer as I used to be, there is something noble for a slightly overweight 41 year old man being able to cut through the warm water of a July swimming pool. Some of my most memorable moments as a young boy took place in the water.
Here’s a few: the summers on the Cahaba River swimming with dangerous copperhead snakes-that was awesome. Spending the summer at Lake Martin fishing and swimming-that was the life. Getting swimming lessons as a small kid from an older high school maiden I had admired for awhile-have mercy. There was the time I almost drowned in the Decatur wave pool-apart from nearly losing my life, it was a fun time. There was also the time where my friends and I went to a nearby apartment complex’s swimming pool and played the old favorite “Marco Polo” when suddenly out of nowhere, a young woman, who was extremely intoxicated, completely undressed herself and asked us boys if she could, “join the game.”
There was one event I remember above the rest. Our youth group had taken a day trip to a water park in north Alabama. As we arrived at the park, I saw it. It was the most hideous yet intimidating figure I had beheld in some time- the HIGH DIVE. Its imposing figure seemed to stretch beyond the heavens. All my friends were bragging about how they were going to “take the dive”.
Not me. As skinny as I was, I was partial to my body being in one piece. I had heard horror stories of kids just like me “taking the dive” and wind up hitting the concrete instead of the water. I was going to play it safe. One by one I saw my friends “take the dive”. Sure their ascent up the high dive staircase must have been ominous but it paled in compassion to the thrill of accomplishment after they hit the water and swam to the safe side.
Life is full of “high dives”. We all at some level face those imposing figures that try our instincts and test the very core of our faith. Yet the Christian faith is just that; “faith”. I am fearful that there are many instances where my Christian experience is just the opposite of faith. Like the kid who stood afar off and watched from where it was safe, I believe there are times I tend to do the same. I want to believe God. I know intellectually what His word says but when I stand at the base of the “high dives”, do I trust and obey His beckoning to “Come out to the deep part” or am I ok with saying, “Thanks Jesus for the invite but I’m ok here where it’s safe.”
Safe is not bad. It’s just….just…safe. Nothing extraordinary, nothing spectacular, nothing radical…it’s just safe. Am I ok with that?
Steve Jobs, Co-founder and CEO of Apple, has no doubt revolutionized the world of technology. In the early stages of Apple, Jobs was looking for someone to assist in the leadership and marketing of the company. Jobs turned to John Sculley, vice president of Pepsi. Jobs approached Sculley on numerous occasions to assist him in revolutionizing the computer world. Each time he was met with indifference and steep demands by Sculley. Jobs, being persistent, approached Sculley with one more appeal. Listen to the account Sculley gives of that meeting: “And then he (Jobs) looked up at me (Sculley) and just stared at me with the stare that only Steve Jobs has and he said, ‘Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or do you want to come with me and change the world?’ I just gulped because I knew I would wonder for the rest of my life what I would have missed.”
So what are the “high dives” that stand before you? Are you going to stand off to the side where it’s safe or are you going to trust our God with every fiber of your soul and dive in head first in the deep end of faith? Don’t wonder for the rest of your life what you would have missed. Dive in!
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Here’s a few: the summers on the Cahaba River swimming with dangerous copperhead snakes-that was awesome. Spending the summer at Lake Martin fishing and swimming-that was the life. Getting swimming lessons as a small kid from an older high school maiden I had admired for awhile-have mercy. There was the time I almost drowned in the Decatur wave pool-apart from nearly losing my life, it was a fun time. There was also the time where my friends and I went to a nearby apartment complex’s swimming pool and played the old favorite “Marco Polo” when suddenly out of nowhere, a young woman, who was extremely intoxicated, completely undressed herself and asked us boys if she could, “join the game.”
There was one event I remember above the rest. Our youth group had taken a day trip to a water park in north Alabama. As we arrived at the park, I saw it. It was the most hideous yet intimidating figure I had beheld in some time- the HIGH DIVE. Its imposing figure seemed to stretch beyond the heavens. All my friends were bragging about how they were going to “take the dive”.
Not me. As skinny as I was, I was partial to my body being in one piece. I had heard horror stories of kids just like me “taking the dive” and wind up hitting the concrete instead of the water. I was going to play it safe. One by one I saw my friends “take the dive”. Sure their ascent up the high dive staircase must have been ominous but it paled in compassion to the thrill of accomplishment after they hit the water and swam to the safe side.
Life is full of “high dives”. We all at some level face those imposing figures that try our instincts and test the very core of our faith. Yet the Christian faith is just that; “faith”. I am fearful that there are many instances where my Christian experience is just the opposite of faith. Like the kid who stood afar off and watched from where it was safe, I believe there are times I tend to do the same. I want to believe God. I know intellectually what His word says but when I stand at the base of the “high dives”, do I trust and obey His beckoning to “Come out to the deep part” or am I ok with saying, “Thanks Jesus for the invite but I’m ok here where it’s safe.”
Safe is not bad. It’s just….just…safe. Nothing extraordinary, nothing spectacular, nothing radical…it’s just safe. Am I ok with that?
Steve Jobs, Co-founder and CEO of Apple, has no doubt revolutionized the world of technology. In the early stages of Apple, Jobs was looking for someone to assist in the leadership and marketing of the company. Jobs turned to John Sculley, vice president of Pepsi. Jobs approached Sculley on numerous occasions to assist him in revolutionizing the computer world. Each time he was met with indifference and steep demands by Sculley. Jobs, being persistent, approached Sculley with one more appeal. Listen to the account Sculley gives of that meeting: “And then he (Jobs) looked up at me (Sculley) and just stared at me with the stare that only Steve Jobs has and he said, ‘Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or do you want to come with me and change the world?’ I just gulped because I knew I would wonder for the rest of my life what I would have missed.”
So what are the “high dives” that stand before you? Are you going to stand off to the side where it’s safe or are you going to trust our God with every fiber of your soul and dive in head first in the deep end of faith? Don’t wonder for the rest of your life what you would have missed. Dive in!
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
If God Had a Blackberry
I love my Blackberry. It is a powerful piece of technology. I only use it for phone calls and texting but I have heard there are other really cool things it can do. One of the neat features I recently discovered about my phone is the “Calendar” feature. This has revolutionized my world! Gone are the days of my lugging the obligatory leather day timer stuffed full of phone numbers, contact information, and upcoming appointments. Now, I simply carry this really cool phone in my pocket and it contains all pertinent information including appoint reminders. You may have guessed that I am not the most technologically inclined individual but my wife is working with me.
With Christmas just a few days away, I’m drawn to a phrase in the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. Look at chapter 2:4-7
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Did you catch verse six? The time came. These are three simple words that are often read but rarely pondered. But if we compare this verse with what Paul writes in Galatians 4:4-5, these three words take on a more powerful depth. Look at Galatians 4:4-5:
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
Suppose God did have a Blackberry. If He did, then maybe somewhere in eternity past, God used the calendar application, foresaw the Incarnation of His Son, and on that day, God entered on the subject line “The Assault”.
And when the big day arrived, the phone buzzed reminding the halls of heaven this was the day (let me pause for a moment and reassure all those who might be reading this that in NO way would God needed to be reminded of this; this is simply a way of expressing idea).
It is hard to believe that this infinitely holy God would want to capture the hearts of such a infinitely broken humanity that He would exchange the life of His only Son to arrest our affections and rescue are eternally damned souls. This expression of sacrifice was truly the most impressive “assault” of love this sinful world has witnessed.
All of heaven’s hosts must have in awe beheld the moment when the Son in complete compliance with this insanely divine plan of redemption, left aside His glory, stood up from His throne to stoop down to earth and put on flesh.
Why? Because it was time. Timing is everything. Merry Christmas.
With Christmas just a few days away, I’m drawn to a phrase in the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. Look at chapter 2:4-7
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Did you catch verse six? The time came. These are three simple words that are often read but rarely pondered. But if we compare this verse with what Paul writes in Galatians 4:4-5, these three words take on a more powerful depth. Look at Galatians 4:4-5:
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
Suppose God did have a Blackberry. If He did, then maybe somewhere in eternity past, God used the calendar application, foresaw the Incarnation of His Son, and on that day, God entered on the subject line “The Assault”.
And when the big day arrived, the phone buzzed reminding the halls of heaven this was the day (let me pause for a moment and reassure all those who might be reading this that in NO way would God needed to be reminded of this; this is simply a way of expressing idea).
It is hard to believe that this infinitely holy God would want to capture the hearts of such a infinitely broken humanity that He would exchange the life of His only Son to arrest our affections and rescue are eternally damned souls. This expression of sacrifice was truly the most impressive “assault” of love this sinful world has witnessed.
All of heaven’s hosts must have in awe beheld the moment when the Son in complete compliance with this insanely divine plan of redemption, left aside His glory, stood up from His throne to stoop down to earth and put on flesh.
Why? Because it was time. Timing is everything. Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Great Iron Bowl Protest
For those who may not know me well, I am a rabid Alabama football fan. Saturdays are sacred at our house. Our family usually spends time together in the morning and early afternoon then when the Tide starts, our world “stands still” for 3.5 hours…or 4 if the game is on CBS.
This seems to be a tradition since my early childhood. I have vivid memories of family and friends crowding around our LD TV to watch the big game. And, God forbid should the Tide go down in defeat, the house became eerily silent...almost like mourning a death. Sure there were the screams, the outbursts, the conniptions during the game, but when the game was over and the sting of loss was a reality, we became these Crimson Tide Zombies wandering around cloaked in stunned disbelief.
During our championship run last year, these emotions were few and far between. However, after suffering two difficult defeats this year, those emotions from long ago reared their ugly head again.
I have discovered something about myself- I get way too emotionally involved and frustrated over football. So, this coming Friday, I’m going to do something I’ve never done-NOT watch Alabama football.
You heard me correctly, I am not going to watch the biggest game of the year. I will not watch the Alabama/ Auburn game because I know if I do, I will go NUTS pulling for a team to win a simple game. So instead, I and my two boys will spend the afternoon together, maybe go to a movie, maybe do a little Christmas shopping, maybe catch The Andy Griffith Show Marathon, who knows. But I know this- I am tired of being convicted about my overwhelming lack of patience when it comes to Crimson Tide Football.
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20
This seems to be a tradition since my early childhood. I have vivid memories of family and friends crowding around our LD TV to watch the big game. And, God forbid should the Tide go down in defeat, the house became eerily silent...almost like mourning a death. Sure there were the screams, the outbursts, the conniptions during the game, but when the game was over and the sting of loss was a reality, we became these Crimson Tide Zombies wandering around cloaked in stunned disbelief.
During our championship run last year, these emotions were few and far between. However, after suffering two difficult defeats this year, those emotions from long ago reared their ugly head again.
I have discovered something about myself- I get way too emotionally involved and frustrated over football. So, this coming Friday, I’m going to do something I’ve never done-NOT watch Alabama football.
You heard me correctly, I am not going to watch the biggest game of the year. I will not watch the Alabama/ Auburn game because I know if I do, I will go NUTS pulling for a team to win a simple game. So instead, I and my two boys will spend the afternoon together, maybe go to a movie, maybe do a little Christmas shopping, maybe catch The Andy Griffith Show Marathon, who knows. But I know this- I am tired of being convicted about my overwhelming lack of patience when it comes to Crimson Tide Football.
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Substitute Saviors
Life today is consumed with idols; substitute saviors. Sometimes these substitutes are hard to recognize, but if we look long and hard in our hearts, they are there. Probably not miniature graven images sitting on our mantles, but we have them. Stuff, status, sports (insert college football here if you wish) self, sanctimonious religion - these substitute saviors that bid for my love; these are the idols with which I struggle.
At the heart of idolatry is substituting the devotion and affection that rightly belongs to the One who is jealous for us. In a sense, idolatry is a worship issue. What you worship is what you idolize.
There is a sobering reminder of this in Exodus 32. Moses has been with God for sometime on the mountaintop while the people in the valley waited…and waited…and waited. Finally, in their impatience, they approach Aaron and demand new gods (idols) be made and thus the descent into destruction began.
Idolatry happens when God is reduced :1. In His apparent “delay”, the people forgot who God was. Their view of God changed. It is easy for us to condemn these poor people but we aren’t much different. Think about it - we casually approach a holy, transcendent God that we worship on our terms and when He doesn’t respond on our timetable, we spiritually whore ourselves out to any substitute that takes us. In effect, we reduce God to the same level as the other gods in our life.
Idolatry happens when God is reformed :2-4. Since God wasn’t behaving like they thought He should, the people took it upon themselves to form something they could control. After all, it’s easy to control something when it has been reduced to a containable level.
I am convicted by this for I see myself and the American Christian in this. I, like the people in Exodus 32, like a convenient and comfortable faith. I want to worship the One, true God and live in His light and love, yet how often I conform Him in my image to fit my life and my demands. Instead of God reforming me, it is I who feebly attempts to reform Him.
Idolatry happens when God is replaced :5-6. The final step of this progression is that God is replaced. He is put on the shelf. When God doesn’t fit our terms, doesn’t fit our timetable and doesn’t meet our demands, two things will happen. We will either break and return to Him in a love relationship or we will find a substitute savior that will act according to our demands. Inevitably, He becomes our mascot and when, or if we ever need Him, we return to the shelf where we’ve placed Him along our other substitute saviors.
Thankfully Moses, after been made aware of his people’s arrogance, pleads to God for their salvation. If the shelves of your heart is riddled with substitute saviors, practice what Moses did as he interceded for his people.
He appealed to God’s Greatness :11. Moses reminded and confessed to God how He had acted in the past and how He had shown Himself mighty before. One of the first steps in renouncing idols is having the right view of Who God is - He is GREAT! He appealed to His Goodness :12. God is good. Though He has the right and power to wipe us out, He is good. We also need to appeal to that characteristic. He appealed to His Grace :13. Finally, Moses reminded God how gracious He was in choosing these stiff necked people to be His own. It is His grace that takes us back, cleans us up and restores us to right relationship. Don’t cheapen that grace by cheating on Him; bask in His overwhelming and relentless love He has lavished on you - you won’t find anyone or anything else that will take His place.
At the heart of idolatry is substituting the devotion and affection that rightly belongs to the One who is jealous for us. In a sense, idolatry is a worship issue. What you worship is what you idolize.
There is a sobering reminder of this in Exodus 32. Moses has been with God for sometime on the mountaintop while the people in the valley waited…and waited…and waited. Finally, in their impatience, they approach Aaron and demand new gods (idols) be made and thus the descent into destruction began.
Idolatry happens when God is reduced :1. In His apparent “delay”, the people forgot who God was. Their view of God changed. It is easy for us to condemn these poor people but we aren’t much different. Think about it - we casually approach a holy, transcendent God that we worship on our terms and when He doesn’t respond on our timetable, we spiritually whore ourselves out to any substitute that takes us. In effect, we reduce God to the same level as the other gods in our life.
Idolatry happens when God is reformed :2-4. Since God wasn’t behaving like they thought He should, the people took it upon themselves to form something they could control. After all, it’s easy to control something when it has been reduced to a containable level.
I am convicted by this for I see myself and the American Christian in this. I, like the people in Exodus 32, like a convenient and comfortable faith. I want to worship the One, true God and live in His light and love, yet how often I conform Him in my image to fit my life and my demands. Instead of God reforming me, it is I who feebly attempts to reform Him.
Idolatry happens when God is replaced :5-6. The final step of this progression is that God is replaced. He is put on the shelf. When God doesn’t fit our terms, doesn’t fit our timetable and doesn’t meet our demands, two things will happen. We will either break and return to Him in a love relationship or we will find a substitute savior that will act according to our demands. Inevitably, He becomes our mascot and when, or if we ever need Him, we return to the shelf where we’ve placed Him along our other substitute saviors.
Thankfully Moses, after been made aware of his people’s arrogance, pleads to God for their salvation. If the shelves of your heart is riddled with substitute saviors, practice what Moses did as he interceded for his people.
He appealed to God’s Greatness :11. Moses reminded and confessed to God how He had acted in the past and how He had shown Himself mighty before. One of the first steps in renouncing idols is having the right view of Who God is - He is GREAT! He appealed to His Goodness :12. God is good. Though He has the right and power to wipe us out, He is good. We also need to appeal to that characteristic. He appealed to His Grace :13. Finally, Moses reminded God how gracious He was in choosing these stiff necked people to be His own. It is His grace that takes us back, cleans us up and restores us to right relationship. Don’t cheapen that grace by cheating on Him; bask in His overwhelming and relentless love He has lavished on you - you won’t find anyone or anything else that will take His place.
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