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Tag Archives: Identity crisis stuff

God is Adorable

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When people adore others, they rarely, if ever, speak negatively about them. They only have good things to say about them. The phrase “singing it praises” comes from this idea. To adore something so much that you constantly and incessantly speak well of it is to “sing its praises.”

God is worthy of our praise and adoration. More than anyone else, God is “adorable.” He is more than able to be adored; he is worthy to be adored. That’s what Paul says is most important. Of all the things that we can do in service to God or on behalf of God, the most important thing is to praise God.

Praising God is not merely a mouthing of words; it is much bigger than that. Our words of praise should flow from a heart of adoration. Our praise should be the direct result of a genuine affection for God; affection for God is true worship.

In Isaiah 29:13 God says, “This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.” Empty ritualism is not true worship of God. Praising God with your lips while your heart pursues joy in status or stuff is hypocrisy. That is why Jesus himself used this verse against the Pharisees of his day (Matthew 15:7-9). The Pharisees were experts in putting on a show. They could appear on the outside to be devoted to God, but their hearts were consumed with self. They were preoccupied with getting praise and respect from others. All of their acts of righteousness were done to serve themselves; to make themselves appear great and thus win the praise of men.

The problem with the Pharisees was not that they didn’t praise God enough, or give God enough credit for the good things in their life. The problem with the Pharisees was that everything they did and every word of praise they uttered to God was done out of a heart that worshiped (valued and treasured) themselves more highly than God.

Identity Crisis: Stuff (Part 3)

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The clearest example of how this is true (what you treasure and look to for satisfaction and joy will be what overtakes the affections of your heart) can be seen in Mark 10:17-27.

“As he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: “Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.”’ And he said to him, ‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.’ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’”

Notice something here. The rich young ruler wants to know what he must “do” to inherit eternal life. He comes to Jesus with a question loaded with assumptions. He assumes that eternal life is attained by something he must do. Jesus immediately takes aim at his heart. He exposes the man’s self righteous, self-reliant heart using the law by quoting him the Ten Commandments. But the rich young ruler, blinded by his self-righteousness, defends his moral prowess by proudly declaring that he has perfectly kept the law.

Jesus is not fooled by the young man’s reply, he presses in further by challenging the young man to act on what he has professed to be true. In essence Jesus is saying to the man, “If you have kept all the commandments, you must have kept the first one that says not to have any other gods besides Yahweh. So then, since you do not love all the stuff in your life more than God, go sell it all and come follow the Son of Yahweh.” Of course we all know what happened next. The young man goes away very sad “for he had great possessions.” The truth is, this rich young ruler was putting his faith in himself (status) as being able to “do” something to inherit eternal life, and, as a result, his heart grew to treasure his “stuff.

Jesus summarizes this seen in Matthew 6:24 when he says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” The young ruler didn’t just love his stuff more than God, he loved himself and his stuff so much that it made his love for God look like hatred. His treasure was his himself and his wealth; he valued and treasured them as more satisfying than anyone or anything else.

Identity Crisis: Stuff (Part 2)

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In Psalm 115:8 the psalmist says: “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” We’ve all heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” While I’m not sure whether or not that is true, the Bible clearly says, “You are what you worship.” Whatever your heart treasures the most will consume your thoughts and life. You will do everything and anything to have what you treasure. The psalmist is making the point that the idols cannot speak, hear, feel or walk. They are lifeless, foolish lumps or clay. All who trust in them will become like them, lifeless and foolish. This is an echo of Paul’s words in Romans 1:21-23:

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”

You are what you worship. Worshiping things that will never do what only God can do makes you foolish.  Jesus addresses the problem of worshiping stuff in Matthew 6:19-21. In his  sermon on the mount, Jesus says:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

At first glance we may think that Jesus has it backwards. Shouldn’t he say that where your heart is, there your treasure will be also? But Jesus does not make a mistake here. His point is exactly that, whatever you treasure, whatever you prize, whatever you value, whatever you believe will bring you ultimate satisfaction will inevitably rule the affections of your heart. Laying up treasures is equivalent to pursuing joy in material stuff. A person who pursues joy in God as his greatest treasure will have a heart that is ruled by Christ.

Continue with part 3 tomorrow . . .

Identity Crisis: Stuff (Part 1)

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Besides status, people also worship stuff. They treasure earthly possessions above all else, sincerely believing that things can bring joy. The writer of Psalm 115 continues in verses 2-9:

“Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.

They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.

They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.

Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.”

Those who do not trust in God trust in idols. The picture of a modern day businessman, athlete, or scientist bowing down before a graven image can seem a little comical. Our world is becoming less and less “religious.” However, what is not so funny is seeing the businessman bow before the idol of wealth, the athlete bow before the idol of fame and glory, and the scientist bow before the idol of knowledge.

There is nothing inherently evil about wealth, popularity and knowledge. Abraham was so wealthy he had his own personal army, Solomon was not only the wisest, but riches and most famous man in the world in his day. However, it is the love and pursuit of these things as treasured possessions with the hope and belief that they will somehow produce satisfaction and joy that is sinful; it’s called idolatry. Treasuring anything other than God with your heart’s highest affection is idolatry.

Continue with part 2 on Monday . . .

CyberChimps