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Isaiah 44:13-17:
The craftsman stretches out his rule, He marks one out with chalk; He fashions it with a plane, He marks it out with the compass, and makes it like the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house. 14 He cuts down cedars for himself, and takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it shall be for a man to burn. For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. 16 He burns half of it in the fire, with this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
Consider the sarcasm Isaiah uses when telling the Israelites about the worship of idols:
First, you found a tree which you did not create. You planted a seed from that tree, which was created by God, and waited for the rain to fall on it, which was sent by God. When the tree grew, you burned part of it in your fireplace for warmth and part for roasting your meat and baking your bread. You took what was remaining and fashioned out a figure of a man. You were careful to perfectly carve every curve and distinguishing mark so the statue you made could sit in your house. Once the wooden statue was perfect, you fell down before it, cried out for deliverance, and said to the idol, “You are my god.” Yet, the god you cried out to was created with your own hands! You should worship that which is greater than you, not a creation from your own mind and work of your hands. You cannot make something greater than yourself.
- We spend hours of time and devotion to watching the television. We prop it up in a very central part of our house and surround it with furniture we relax on. We also bring food and drink to the place around the television where we are relaxing so we won’t have to get up and down once our favorite programs begin.
Are we as devoted to the study of God’s Word and prayer as we are to watching television?
- Food has almost (if not already) become a god in our country. I read an article by a minister in Africa who told how little fasting is taught in the United States and Western Europe. He shared that in his country, food could only be bought in the market and the only place to eat the food was at home. In the western world, there is food available when you buy gasoline at a station, medicine at a pharmacy, or a battery at an electronics store. We have made an idol out of the availability of food! Perhaps a rediscovery of fasting would take our eyes off food and back on the Lord.
- Possessions are a gift from God, but are never to replace God. A desire for “stuff” is engrained into our society and outdoing our neighbor seems to be the prevalent mindset. We are told in the Word to be satisfied with the food and clothing we have. If we seek the gospel of Jesus and the expansion of His kingdom as our highest priority, He will see to it the “things” of life will be added to us.
- Work and money can be an idol as we push ourselves to increase our financial holdings in this world. How often do we forget the admonition given to Timothy that we brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out of it when we leave? What we do with the money we have is far more important than how much of it we have stored up. The highest use of our money is to expand the kingdom of God and the good news of Jesus’ power to save.
I encourage you, come back to worshipping the God who created you instead of the creations of your own hands. The money in your bank account, the clothes on your back, the possessions you have, and the food you eat are all gifts from your Creator. Don’t just thank and worship God for what you can see, but even more for the invisible assets you possess—salvation, forgiveness of sins, the joy of the Holy Spirit, and the assurance of salvation throughout life and finally into eternity! These are things which can never be lost!
Precepts
Many people today are running after “things” instead of the Creator of those “things.” Things don’t bring peace. Things don’t bring joy. Things don’t bring fulfillment in life. Through your generous giving, we are able to help others learn about the One who has provided for every need in our lives through His Son, Jesus Christ. Regardless of the amount given, your gift is affecting lives! Thank you for your faithfulness.
You can learn more about how to make seeking God a greater priority than seeking “things” in this life by taking advantage of this month’s offer The Overflowing Heart.
Thank you for your faithful support,
Bob Yandian
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