What We Worship
I am sitting at an auto dealership waiting for my wife’s vehicle to be fixed, which means that I am sitting in a waiting room full of people and we are watching daytime television. The Tyra Banks show is now on and the Rachael Ray show just went off. Tyra is interviewing Alyssa Milano, who I hate to admit, but I had a crush on her as a teenager, but what boy who grew up in the 1980’s didn’t have a crush on her – maybe even had a poster on the wall, but don’t tell anyone. Anyway, I am getting a little off the point here so let me get back on track. When the Tyra Banks show came on, she came up through an elevator with smoke and spotlights and music in the background and the crowd gave her a standing ovation cheering wildly. Of course Tyra Banks is a superstar and probably one of the most beautiful women on this planet, but is it right to put these people up on a pedestal like this?
This thought for this strand started last night. My mother-in-law, a very Godly lady, came in for Christmas yesterday and we were sitting in the front room just talking. She was talking about living in a Babylonian society because she has been studying Beth Moore’s study of Daniel. The spirit of Babylonia erases limits on what is right and wrong. To put the Babylonian spirit in perspective think about what advertisers use to sell things, think about the messages we receive in our popular music, or what Hollywood uses to get you to watch. My mother-in-law used the point that a man living in Arkansas in the 1940’s who walked through town would never see a woman on a billboard who was virtually naked or his wife would not be bombarded with images of women who are very thin or surgically enhanced putting pressure on her to “live up” to that image. Their son or daughter growing up in the same period would not have to “grow up” to early knowing way too much about the birds and the bee’s, living in a world where marijuana is “okay” and will not hurt you, or sex was necessary just to fit in. I will leave it at that, because this blog is not about the moral decline of our society. Because if you are a Christ follower, you do not have to be prisoner to the norms of society, though I would caution that you would be out of the will of God if you removed yourself from the society and became ignorant to it. Remember, you are called to be “salt” and “light” to the society, not outsider pointing fingers and judging.
No, this blog is about what we choose to worship. If you are reading this blog, chances are you may be worshipping football. If you have been successful in life, you may be worshipping your own success. If you love sports like me, if you are not careful you may find yourself worshipping the “ESPN” god. The point is there is only one worthy of worship. And He is worthy of worship because of his amazing love for us. This is the Christmas season and it is easy to get caught up in the business of the season while you go into debt, but remember the true reason for the season. The Muslims, live in fear of the wrath of Allah against sin, but as Christians we can be reassured by the fact that Christ life, death, and resurrection has satisfied the Wrath of God so that we do not have to live a life of fear of God, but rather we can receive the mercy and grace of God and accept the fact that God loves us and wants a relationship with us and even wants to indwell within us via His Holy Spirit. Think about the concept of grace. If you truly get the concept of grace, then you understand that God is truly worthy of worship. Before we were Christians, before we repented, before we loved God, God paid the price for us. When we did not acknowledge, when we lived in sin and did not have a repentant attitude God still loved us and to the point that he was willing to allow his own flesh and blood to die a sinners death. That is the principle of grace, not only did he show us mercy and not give us what we deserve, he gave us what we had not earned. Grace makes him worthy of praise and worship. Awareness is a key component to proper worship awareness of why God is worthy of worship, awareness of the Holy Spirit at work in your life, awareness of the dangers of getting consumed by our society, awareness of the Babylonian spirit at work in modern America.
Let me finish with this thought. Christmas day, my wife and I where relaxing and watching a little TV. We live in an age when we have more channels on TV than ever before and less quality on TV than ever before. As children of the 80’s we were looking for something on TV that would not make us think but at the same time somewhat keep our minds active. And as 80’s children would love to be nostalgic about the greatest decade in American history, so back to the point, we came across VH1’s greatest 100 songs of the 80’s and we were hooked. VH1 not only played the song and showed the music video, but they told a brief description of what they have done since and were they are now. There are some 80’s artist who are still doing well and handled there fame well, i.e. John Bon Jovi whose Living On A Prayer was # 1 song of the 80’s, but for the most part artist after artist had not only never matched their moment of fame, but had sad tales of their fall from fame. Okay now the thought, these people had their moment of fame, their moment at the top, they had made their money and been in the limelight and guess what it did not satisfy them. The hole deep in their soul, that God sized hole that can only be filled by God, was still there and tearing them apart. Look at modern stars like Britney Spears or the recent death of Anna Nicole Smith, fame, money, and popularity are not all they are cracked up to be. You must have a foundation or nothing else matters! In our arena, coaching football, no matter how many games and titles you win it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a foundation. The bottom line is win the going gets tough or that thing hits the fan, you better have a foundation or more bluntly you better have God to turn too. This world is tough and cruel and the ruler of this world will attack and seek to kill, but the God who created this world is the hope, the answer, and strong tower!!
Worship God and do not worship this world and things will work out. We will have life and life more abundantly!
This thought for this strand started last night. My mother-in-law, a very Godly lady, came in for Christmas yesterday and we were sitting in the front room just talking. She was talking about living in a Babylonian society because she has been studying Beth Moore’s study of Daniel. The spirit of Babylonia erases limits on what is right and wrong. To put the Babylonian spirit in perspective think about what advertisers use to sell things, think about the messages we receive in our popular music, or what Hollywood uses to get you to watch. My mother-in-law used the point that a man living in Arkansas in the 1940’s who walked through town would never see a woman on a billboard who was virtually naked or his wife would not be bombarded with images of women who are very thin or surgically enhanced putting pressure on her to “live up” to that image. Their son or daughter growing up in the same period would not have to “grow up” to early knowing way too much about the birds and the bee’s, living in a world where marijuana is “okay” and will not hurt you, or sex was necessary just to fit in. I will leave it at that, because this blog is not about the moral decline of our society. Because if you are a Christ follower, you do not have to be prisoner to the norms of society, though I would caution that you would be out of the will of God if you removed yourself from the society and became ignorant to it. Remember, you are called to be “salt” and “light” to the society, not outsider pointing fingers and judging.
No, this blog is about what we choose to worship. If you are reading this blog, chances are you may be worshipping football. If you have been successful in life, you may be worshipping your own success. If you love sports like me, if you are not careful you may find yourself worshipping the “ESPN” god. The point is there is only one worthy of worship. And He is worthy of worship because of his amazing love for us. This is the Christmas season and it is easy to get caught up in the business of the season while you go into debt, but remember the true reason for the season. The Muslims, live in fear of the wrath of Allah against sin, but as Christians we can be reassured by the fact that Christ life, death, and resurrection has satisfied the Wrath of God so that we do not have to live a life of fear of God, but rather we can receive the mercy and grace of God and accept the fact that God loves us and wants a relationship with us and even wants to indwell within us via His Holy Spirit. Think about the concept of grace. If you truly get the concept of grace, then you understand that God is truly worthy of worship. Before we were Christians, before we repented, before we loved God, God paid the price for us. When we did not acknowledge, when we lived in sin and did not have a repentant attitude God still loved us and to the point that he was willing to allow his own flesh and blood to die a sinners death. That is the principle of grace, not only did he show us mercy and not give us what we deserve, he gave us what we had not earned. Grace makes him worthy of praise and worship. Awareness is a key component to proper worship awareness of why God is worthy of worship, awareness of the Holy Spirit at work in your life, awareness of the dangers of getting consumed by our society, awareness of the Babylonian spirit at work in modern America.
Let me finish with this thought. Christmas day, my wife and I where relaxing and watching a little TV. We live in an age when we have more channels on TV than ever before and less quality on TV than ever before. As children of the 80’s we were looking for something on TV that would not make us think but at the same time somewhat keep our minds active. And as 80’s children would love to be nostalgic about the greatest decade in American history, so back to the point, we came across VH1’s greatest 100 songs of the 80’s and we were hooked. VH1 not only played the song and showed the music video, but they told a brief description of what they have done since and were they are now. There are some 80’s artist who are still doing well and handled there fame well, i.e. John Bon Jovi whose Living On A Prayer was # 1 song of the 80’s, but for the most part artist after artist had not only never matched their moment of fame, but had sad tales of their fall from fame. Okay now the thought, these people had their moment of fame, their moment at the top, they had made their money and been in the limelight and guess what it did not satisfy them. The hole deep in their soul, that God sized hole that can only be filled by God, was still there and tearing them apart. Look at modern stars like Britney Spears or the recent death of Anna Nicole Smith, fame, money, and popularity are not all they are cracked up to be. You must have a foundation or nothing else matters! In our arena, coaching football, no matter how many games and titles you win it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a foundation. The bottom line is win the going gets tough or that thing hits the fan, you better have a foundation or more bluntly you better have God to turn too. This world is tough and cruel and the ruler of this world will attack and seek to kill, but the God who created this world is the hope, the answer, and strong tower!!
Worship God and do not worship this world and things will work out. We will have life and life more abundantly!
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