The Tyranny of Retirement

I wrote another article for Holy Culture entitled The Tyranny of Retirement.  This article focuses on a common mindset that we need to work so that we can make enough money to finally be set free from work - to retire.  I argue that work isn't the problem, fallenness is.  Retirement is not the goal, redemption is.

The message and advice of our culture is tyrannous and dangerous. Focusing our attention upon work itself will do nothing but dig our graves deeper. It misses the problem entirely. Our problem is not work, no matter how difficult that work may be. The problem runs much deeper than what we can or cannot do with our hands. Our problem is sin-deep. And, as implied above, we don’t need retirement – we need redemption.

Simply put: We don’t need to work in order to be free; rather, we must be freed in order to work.  
You can read the rest of the article here.

I would like to make one point of clarification.  I am not saying that retirement from a job is a bad thing.  I am saying that retirement from work should not be the goal of human existence.  When it is, it is tyrannous and enslaving.  Work, when understood from a biblical perspective, is a blessing and deeply satisfying.

The Human Heart and Home Appliances

The human heart, and consequently the human life (because essence precedes existence - that is, who you are precedes what you do), without God, is like one huge vacuum cleaner.  It is constantly taking in anything that happens to come within its reach.  Vacuum cleaners, in a very practical way, are the most selfish machines around.  All they do while they're on is take, take, and take some more.

If the analogy is accurate, then we must understand that those who are not filled with God cannot give anything rightly.  Even if they do physically give of themselves or their possessions, we understand that this is really a form of spiritual selfishness.  Giving is just a means of getting - that is, they are giving without the proper motivation.

On the other hand, the heart that is filled with God through faith in Jesus Christ, ceases to be a vacuum and is transformed into a blower.  It exists to generously and constantly distribute to others.  Because the Lord, by His Spirit, is ever-giving and overflowing, He causes His people to be givers and not takers.  The riches that He provides them are freely given to all who come in contact with them.

Note:  I understand that the analogy can break down if we consider that a blower actually pushes things away!  But, forget about that for now and just follow along :)

Those who are filled with God have no need to take from others.  The Creator of the universe is now intimately living inside of them by His Spirit.  He provides all that they need.  Now the believer may spend his/her time and possessions focused on others.  This empowered existence is far from selfishness and is rightly characterized by love.  Their giving is not only commanded (providing the right standard), but is also done with the right purpose (unto the glory of God) and with the right motive (love for others instead of self).

This could possibly be the worst analogy that I have come up with, but it gets the point across.  Hopefully vacuuming your house will never be the same!

Sex, Rhianna and Redbook

While Rhiann's new song, S&M, is far from a family sing along, it is terribly profound; ironically indicating just how empty this girl (as well as our culture) really is.  If Rhianna is telling the truth, then she is one who feels good being good at being bad (how's that for an expression!), and who likes to experience affliction while having sex.  At the end of her "afflicting" experiences, however, instead of being fulfilled, she is left "wanting more."

I do want to make myself clear.  I am not saying that just because a person is left "wanting more" after having sexual intercourse, that they are out of line.  I think it is perfectly normal for a person to want more sex after having sex.  Nor am I advocating a limited scope of sexual positions and/or practices that a couple may choose from in order to be ethically "in line."

This brings me to my next point.

If it is sexual positions and practices that we are wanting, we are surely not lacking in that department either.  I am personally amazed by the ability of magazines like Redbook and Cosmopolitan to come up with "new" ways to make our sex lives better.  Heck, why do we even need to talk to our spouse when all we have to do is read "75 moves your lover wishes you knew" or "2,756 ways to make him/her scream" or "543,789.333333 positions to make him/her come back for more." Give me a break.

My point is simple.  If we need that many moves, positions, songs, "afflictions" or whatever to be sexually satisfied, then we are one desperate people.  Sex is not God.  It will not ultimately fulfill.  Sex is merely a shadow of the excitement and satisfaction that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Yes, sex is meant to direct our eyes Godward - it is designed to bring Him glory.

But if we refuse to repent of this idolatry, we will continue distorting this God-glorifying and God-honoring practice.  If we fail to direct people toward Christ, we will be enslaved by the tyrannous lie that sex is ultimately fulfilling - leaving singles, as well as those who are in some way sexually disabled, in utter despair.  In other words, even if you cannot have sex, God's grace is sufficient for you.  Instead of distorting sex, embrace Christ.

So, save yourself the money it would cost to buy that Redbook issue or Rhianna's latest hit, and take your spouse out to coffee.  And instead of listening to some "expert", try asking your spouse what sexually satisfies them.  How's that for a novel idea?

As our culture continues to distort sex, it is our duty to proclaim the glorious nature of sex within the Christ-centered marital context.  Rhianna has no idea, nor does Redbook even come close to describing the pleasure of real sex, between a husband and wife, who are continually communicating their desires, and who are glorifying the Christ who bought them.

Putting Porn to Death (Part 2 of 3)

I believe C.S. Lewis wrote that the enemy will gladly take your cold to give you cancer.  In this post, part 2 of Putting Porn to Death, I talk about how many of us put the idol of porn down only to pick up another.

See the article here on HolyCulture.net

Making an Idol out of Bible Study

Living and pastoring in a fairly religious culture puts me in contact with many Christians at different points in their Christian walk.  Some are seasoned individuals, who know and love the gospel well.  Others are young, zealous, and new to the faith.    

In this culture, we stress the importance of really good things - like church, good parenting, prayer, and bible study.  It is a common saying in the halls, "While in my devo's this morning, I learned..."  I love this about my life and friendships.  I love it that the first three people I usually encounter (other than my children) have first encountered God, in the Word and in prayer.  Again, I am truly grateful for this environment.

There are some dangers, however, lurking in these "religious" waters.  It is human nature to create an idol out of just about anything.  And as we know, idols lie.  The lies are not stupid though.  In a culture like ours, they take on religious tones - or, pretenses.  They are plausible.  Lane and Tripp say it well in their book, How People Change, "The lies that capture us as Christians usually seem to fit well within the borders of our Christianity."

In other words, it is quite possible to wake up one day thinking that your morning Bible study will save you.  You (or should I say "we")...WE read our chapters and then move about the day knowing that we have done what we were supposed to do.  We often say things like, "I have spent time with God today, therefore..." Now let me be clear.  I am not saying that a disciplined life in the Word is a bad thing.  I am saying that a disciplined life in the Word might be (or become) a bad thing, IF one uses it as a means to merit righteousness before God - when one makes an idol out of Bible study.

I guess a good question to ask is how a person knows when they have made an idol of Bible study.  Here are a few thoughts on the issue.  I don't pretend to know all indicators; but, being an idol making factory myself, I've had my share of encountering "idol indicators."  Here are a few that I have personally encountered.

If you feel as if you are condemned when you do not have your quiet time in the Bible, you have made an idol out of Bible study.  To put it another way, when people feel that Bible study saves them, then when they do not have Bible study, they don't feel saved or loved by God.  To the moms out there who are bombarded at the early hours of the morning by children who do not value sleeping in...though you aren't getting the physical rest you need, receive this spiritual rest for your soul - Christ alone saves you.  Read to your kids from a good children's Bible and be fed by God.  His grace is sufficient for you.

To the hard working husbands, who wake up at 5am to go to work, and who come home at 6pm from work...receive this rest as well.  

If you neglect other meaningful ways to encounter and study God's Word, you have made an idol out of Bible study.  There were times that I was so upset for not getting in the Word that I neglected my wife singing a hymn while making breakfast for the kids.  There were times that I neglected to really listen to Emma saying her memory verses.  And there were times that I did not cherish Sunday's sermon, because I idolized my own Bible study.  

I agree with David Clarkson, and many other "dead theologians" who strongly believed that our communal time in the Word is more valuable than our individual time in the same.  Here is the link to his famous work, Public Worship to Be Preferred Before Private.  

If you neglect loving others, or find yourself getting upset at others because they interrupt your Bible study, you have made an idol out of it.  I used to get frustrated (and still do sometimes) when my wife or kids would call, just to tell me hello, while I was in study.  If I were studying for the right reasons, I would cherish the call.

If you are offended at this post, you may have made an idol out of Bible study.  

If you tend to tune out others who may not know the Bible as well as you do, then you have made an idol out of your own Bible study.  People know when you are not listening.  This is something that I must pay attention to.  I study the Bible a lot.  It's in my job description.  So when a lay person comes to me with excitement or joy from something he/she just learned from the Scriptures, I should pay attention for the sake of learning as well, and not immediately think he/she has nothing "new" to say (that I didn't already know).  

And finally, if you find yourself not telling others about the Christ of the Bible (you study so much), then you may very well have made an idol out of the Bible and not the Christ.  Your trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Bible.  We must remember, the Scriptures lead us to Christ.  Our relationship to the Scriptures does not save us though - only Christ saves us.  I love the quote from the book noted above, "Our sin is so great that only Christ's work on the cross can rescue us."  Our work in the Bible will not save us Christian.  Only Christ's work will do.  This should free you to love your Bible rightly - even, redemptively.

Do I love studying my Bible?  Yes.  Should you?  Yes.  But never more than the Christ of the Bible.  And if you don't think this is possible - you may be guilty of it now.  Our sinful flesh is crafty.  It knows us well.  It will therefore take very good things that we love, and make ultimate things out of them.  Bible study is a prime target for this.  

Am I saying don't study your Bible?  Am I saying that its okay not to?  I would never downplay the importance of reading and studying the Word of God.  But I would write a post like this to help us all study it redemptively - that is, in a way that helps us love Christ more, and not ourselves.

They Only Make It Because We Pay It

When asked what he thought about McNabb's new contract, Terrell Owens said, "How do you justify a $78 million contract with this type of performance?"  I actually agreed with Owens on this point.   However, I believe TO and I would have a bit of a disagreement in regards to whether any football player is worth $78 million!

Regardless of whether McNabb is washed up or not; or whether he's worth the money or not, it is simply alarming to me that these high dollar contracts are being offered all over the place.  Could it be that we have lost touch with reality when we don't even flinch anymore when hearing of a ball player making 10 million dollars in a single year?!

Here is a very interesting article that compares salaries of ball players over the past half century.  Babe Ruth made less than $800,000 total over his 14-year career.  After leading the MLB in home runs for six years straight (a feat never accomplished before or since!), Branch Rickey became the first player to make $100,000/year.  Granted, this was in the 50's, but still.  He asked his manager for a raise with the response, "We finished last with you, we can finish last without you."

Oh how things have changed.  The best player in baseball in the 50's made less than the minimum wage (in any sport other than MLS) in 2009.  And looking at the list of top salaries in all sports ranging from formula one to golf or even motorcycling, $30 million/year is simply not that uncommon.  Wow.

Sure, I could sit here and talk about the ethics of paying this amount of money for sports.  But that conversation wouldn't go that far.  The issue is deeper.  The athletes make this kind of money because the consumers pay it.  All we have to do from here is ask a simple, but significant question, "Why?"  The answer is easy isn't it?  I've written about it before.  It is our nature to desire and adore supremacy; and while fallen man persists in his rebellion, all he can come up with is adoration of athletes.

Am I saying that all fans are worshiping?  No.  But I won't hesitate to say that most are.

And worshippers are willing to pay it all.  Time, effort, resources, and relationships - all are sacrificed to see a person (or team) excel in a game.  And you better believe these gods have their own set of commandments.

1.  Adore me more than all others (for more on this go here and watch the commercial, and read where Kevin Hale speaks specifically about this commandment).
2.  Devote yourself to no other.
3.  Stay at home and watch me on television for hours at a time.
4.  Pay a ton for a ticket.
5.  Pay a ton for my paraphernalia so that everyone knows your mine.
6.  Memorize my statistics.
7.  Talk about me a lot to others.
8.  Oh yeah, don't bother me for an autograph, I'm busy.
9.  Scream really loud when I make a good play.
10.  Place your faith, hope and love in me.  This is a quote by the way - see the link above.

Isn't it interesting that we follow these commandments almost effortlessly!?  Then, when we read God's commandments, we look for ways to get around them.  So what's the problem?  Answer: We have simply lost our capacity for greatness.  As C.S. Lewis would say, we are kids settling for mud pies because we cannot imagine a day at the beach.

And I haven't even said anything about the fact that more money is spent on pornography than professional baseball, football, basketball, and hockey combined!  As Americans, we have everything; but given all indicators, anyone with an objective point of view would say we don't have anything at all.  We can buy pretty much anything we want, but we are satisfied by nothing.  We have an appetite as big as God, but we fill our plates with peanuts.  It just doesn't make sense.  But idolatry never does.  We must be redeemed.

Tim Keller said once that money is a good identifier of our idols.  Look where where the money is spent, and you will see where the idols live.  Idols never get full.  They are constantly making demands as we spend our lives trying to comply.  But here is the flip side.  We are never filled by idols. They demand and we pay... only to be empty, again.  

The salaries won't get smaller.  The ticket prices won't get lower.  Until the high places come crumbling down.  We will pay too much until we can pay nothing at all.  Then what?

Emptiness.

Then what?

The Gospel.

Then what?

Redemption.

Are sports bad?  When they are sanctuaries for worship, yes, they are.  The link that I keep referencing (from Mr. Hale) was the straw that broke this justified-sinner's back.   I'm not sure how much more I'm willing to pay.  But I do know this, the evident hunger of millions of people is indicative of a field that is ripe for harvest.  The Gospel doesn't call a person to stop worshipping.  Rather, it calls us all to worship true Supremacy - Christ, our Lord.  It calls us to stop settling for less.

When the One You Love Becomes the One You Worship

I have a family now.  I think my wife is beautiful.  And my kids...they are great too.  I see them daily.  I hug on 'em constantly.  We go through good times and even some bad times as well. But we go through it all together.  By grace, we seem to grow closer each and every day.

I never thought life in relationship could be so good.  But I never thought it could be so dangerous either.  When the ones you love become the ones you worship, life takes a very sharp turn.  Loving is soon replaced with crushing; asking is replaced with demanding; forgiveness is replaced with fighting; and all because the Creator has been replaced with the creature.

All it takes is one bad day; when we neglect to preach the gospel to ourselves, we place the ones we love on the throne of our hearts.  And it's easy isn't it?  They are visible, Christ isn't.  It's easier to embrace the one seated next to us, than the One who is seated at the right hand of God.

Let's get real.  Sometimes I get tired of being a Christian.  I get tired of "setting my mind on Christ."  There are times when I don't want to read my Bible; and I don't want to pray.  I wish He was here with me - tangible, audible, and visible.  But He's not.  This frustrates me.  I get tired of waiting for glory...and so, I walk over and I scoop up my little girl instead.

I have to be careful though.  If not, I may scoop her up too high and place her on a platform where she is completely unable to stand.  You see, high places are our attempt to adore perfection.   When we adore, we lose ourselves.  We forget the bad stuff in our lives, because the perfection of "good" is right before us.  And this is natural...we were made for this.  But there are problems.  And these problems are the reason I write.  Allow me to list a few.

First, our high places are flawed.  They will never pass a divine inspection.  Because they are created, they are subject to decay, wear, tear and the like.  One day, the high places will come crumbling down.  And when they do, whatever [or whoever!] we have placed upon them, will come crumbling down with them.

Second, those we place on our flawed high places are flawed as well.  They will never pass the inspection for perfection.  Have you ever wondered why we, as humans, want the perfect spouse, the perfect team, the perfect season, the perfect job, the perfect dog, the perfect car, etc.?  Answer: because we were made to worship perfection.  We were made for God.

But people aren't God.  If we look at them hard enough (on the high place) we will spot an imperfection.  This is where life gets abusive.  If the one we worship shows an imperfection, we lose it!  After all, we are placing everything at their feet.  They are our source of satisfaction.  They are responsible for our identity!  If they are flawed, then so are we!

And this is why I crush my little girl sometimes - forcing her, as it were, to be perfect.  This is why I crush my wife sometimes - by getting upset and angry when she doesn't do this or that; or act this way or that way.

When our object of worship shows a flaw, we scream at it saying, "Get perfect!  Stop doing that!  How dare you do that to me!"  And when they begin to fall down from the high place, many times we throw them back up there.  We force them to be something they were never created to be.  This is called abuse.  When they don't meet our expectations of perfection, our lives spiral into despair; and they are to blame!

Sometimes people wise up a bit.  After coming to their senses, they understand that the person is not fit for the high place.  So what do they do?  They throw them down; and they replace them with another.  This is called neglect.  "You weren't perfect, so I'm done with you!  Life is too short not to be happy!  See ya!"

Third, in our fallenness, we try to climb and sit upon other people's high places.  In our sin, we want to be worshipped.  We want the praise of men.  But this is an extremely fickle position.  If we are going to have it, we must fight for it; and fight we do!  As said above, if we occupy the high places we are subject to severe criticism.  Before long, those who worship us will begin pointing out our imperfections.  This is when we get ticked off.  This is when we become immediately defensive saying, "Me!? Well, you were this and that!  You are the one....!!!" And the cycle goes on and on and on and on...

So what are we to do?  We have to live the gospel.  There is simply no other way.

First, we must not place the ones we love on high places.  This is sometimes very difficult.  Christ must occupy the High Place of our hearts.  When we are ultimately satisfied in Him - and accepted in Him, we will not abuse others when they don't satisfy or accept us.  For me this is very practical.  A clean house will not ultimately satisfy me.  Therefore, if I come home to a dirty house, there is no need to overreact.  Christ has purified my life - who am I to complain about a dirty room!

If I am perfectly acceptable in Christ, I won't be tempted to seek acceptance in my children's good behavior.  This enables me to love Emma, Jude, and Camille rather than punish them for being crazy kids.  And when they do sin, I can show them a merciful and just Christ instead of an angry and obtuse father.

When those we love are not worshipped, then many "imperfections" that we once saw turn out not to be imperfections at all; but rather personal idiosyncrasies that make them significant, different, and special.  Those "imperfections" may just turn out to be what we love most about them.

Second, if we are on the high place of our loved ones, we must come down.  This is painful.  Part of sharing the gospel to those we love is to help them identify and mortify their idols.  If we are the idol, we must be prepared to confess our own unworthiness of worship!  This is where we get out a sheet of paper and show them how jacked up we really are.  This is also when we must be prepared to find out things about ourselves that we were blind to.  If we don't understand the gospel at this time, we will be tempted to hop back on the high place by saying, "You're crazy!  I'm not forgetful, lazy, or unfair!"

To sum up, I will give a story that happened just the other day.  I overheard Emma and Katie talking in the other room.  Emma said something to the effect of, "Daddy never does what he says he's gonna do." This was a daggar in my heart.  I almost fell to the floor.  Katie defended me a little.  I was even tempted to enter the room to defend myself.  But I didn't.

I have failed Emma.  We used to go on a date every week.  Now, we are lucky if we go once a month.  This is just one example that entered my mind.  And so I repented.  But I was also painfully thankful  that my little girl saw flaws in her daddy.  I was off of her high place and I was not going to get back on.  Rather, this was the perfect occasion to direct her to the One who is always faithful.  He is always with us.  He is always truthful, gracious, merciful and perfect.

He alone is the One we can both love and worship.

Cam Newton, Idolatry, and Christ

A few things that I have learned about idolatry that I have learned from watching football, esp. Cameron Newton, this season.

First, on worship.  As human beings, we love sitting for long periods of time gazing upon superiority.  The better the athlete, the more talk, praise, and attention he gets.  Sure, the really bad players may get some attention, but only because they are superior in their inferiority!  How many times have we found ourselves discussing how fast a teenager is? Or how much they can bench press?  Or how many yards they have gained this year?  I find it very interesting that little to no effort is needed to commit these stats to memory.  Nor does anyone find it particularly difficult to engage in conversation about the same.  Again, interesting.

Second, on identity.  Cameron Newton’s jersey is sold out until next year.  In some mysterious way, our identity is attached to the life and identity of another.  When they excel we excel.  When they don’t, we don’t.  It’s almost like we take ownership of the merits [and demerits!] of another.  It truly is a great time when a superior athlete is on our team.  Why is this?  There is something deep within us that longs for worship; and also longs to be identified with the object of that worship.

Third, on futility of idolatry.  No athlete is worthy of our worship or identity. As superior to other athletes as they may be, not one of them is perfectly superior.  Not one of them is without sin.  They will fall.  Did Cameron Newton break the rules?  I’m not sure.  I wonder why so many men [and women] find themselves looking and listening, so eagerly and intently, for “Breaking News”.  Do we really care about the individual?  Or are we more concerned with our own identity and fulfillment?  Again, isn’t it interesting that many (myself included) find it almost effortless to search for and listen to news reports on the issue.  In a sense, we long for the conclusion.  But why?  Here is the reality of the situation.  Guilty or not, Cam will probably go pro.  Then he will either get injured or old.  Then he will leave sports.  Then he will die. I hope this news doesn't "break" us.

Fourth, on the abuse of idolatry.  When we raise these kids to the level of idolatry we abuse them.  Cam himself is experiencing the fickle nature of his own identity right now.  Praise from men is highly intoxicating – and intoxicated individuals rarely make good decisions.  In a way, when we feed our idols, we kill them.  In offering Cam praise, we sacrifice him upon our own alters of worship.  But that’s okay, praise keeps him blinded to this; and when that runs its course and doesn’t fulfill him anymore – we will pay him a ton of money.  Yeah, that will keep him in front of our eyes for a few more years!  Then we move on to the next guy.  Cam is left in the dark…sorry man.

Last, on Christ.  Why do we love superiority so much?  There is no doubt we do.  We long for it so badly that we are willing to ravage the slightest hint of it in the creature.  When a kid shows superiority, we adore him, praise him, follow his progress, and even memorize him.  Again, we place our identity in him.  As said before, however, all creatures fall.  And when they do – so do we. 

But Christ never falls.  He never fails.  He never tears an ACL.  He never takes money for selfish gain.  He never gets tired, old, sick, prideful, or “Terrell Owens-ish”.  And he will never retire! He is infinitely superior, with divine strength and endurance, able to save, change, care for, and redeem all who spend all of their Saturdays watching Him!  He is meticulous in all categories of life!  He is majestic, righteous and abounding in all that we need to be satisfied.  He will never let us down; nor will he leave us wanting.  He is the image of the invisible God – the One we were created for!  He is the maker and creator of every beating heart; and thus able to captivate and fill all of our emptiness.  He alone is worthy of our worship; and in Him (identity) we find our life.  Forever.  This season will never end.

I'm not saying watching and enjoying football is bad.  But making idols of players is.  There are many reasons for this, one of which is this:  we cannot show Cam Christ when he is our christ.  And right now, that kid needs Christ.  He needs to know that his identity can be secured and safely hidden in someone other than himself.  

Idols in the Shadows

Our lives and relationships, though wonderful at times, are also stained with sin.  We can hardly live a single day without the possibility/reality of offending or being offended.  Sometimes, we even do everything right, then...WHAMMO! a fight breaks out.  Minutes later, we are left scratching our head saying, "Where in the world did that come from?" or "How in the world did this happen?"

Without fail, if there is a break in relationship, however long that break may last, there is an idol lingering in the shadows.  Idols are tricky that way.  They like to hide, whispering in the conscience, making promises, and thus feeding our sinful flesh.  Idols are by nature small, but in our perception become quite large.  Their lies seep into our innermost being, and, if we are not careful, our hearts will become completely enslaved.  Our hearts then begin to beat idolatrous blood.  If one were to look at our heart, they would see our idol.  If one were to rip out our idol, they would rip out our heart. 

Relationships naturally fiddle with idols.  Others, who do not necessarily want what we want, often get in the way of what we want.  This is precisely when the "WHAMMO!" happens.   Idols demand devotion.  And they keep our devotion by promising what every person deeply longs for - acceptance and satisfaction.  So we cling to them.  We "set our minds" upon them.  The only problem is that idols don't like to share.  They are fragile, easily broken, and thus require constant care, attention, and nurture.  In other words, idols can die.  They die easily.  And when they do, their promises die with them.  We are then left holding on to nothing...but despair. 

Therefore, when another person enters our situation we are immediately on guard.  If the person asks something from us, we immediately run that directive by our idol.  Should the person's request serve our idol - we move forward, albeit selfishly.  Should it not - we resist; or, move forward with resentment.  Depending on how threatened the idol is by the other person, we may even tell the person to "shove off."  WHAMMO!

This is a huge subject, so let me give some practical thoughts.  How do you know when you have stumbled upon an idol?  If a person builds their life on an idolatrous promise, that person will react accordingly when that idol dies or is threatened.  I call these "over reactions."  The Bible identifies these as anger, wrath, malice, deceit, obscene talk, sexual immorality, fear, anxiety, depression and so on.  So when any of these are present, an idol must be present as well.  Look for it.

What do you do when you find it?  This is the crucial part.  We must be careful.  If this is done without great care, you might get cut!  Remember, "WHAMMO!"?  The idol must be dethroned.  It must die (Note: I have been referring to idols in the singular; but it is common to have a multitude of them running around in our lives).  The best way to kill an idol is to take away its leverage - you must peel its greedy fingers from the heart.  How is this done?  Only with the gospel.

You see, the idol whispers things like, "If you don't have me, you will never be acceptable."  or "If I should be out of your life, you will never be satisfied."  What are some idols in your life?  Cell phone?  New car?  Good grades?  Money?  Clothes?  Food?  Beer?  Anything can be an idol.  Be careful.

So, you have to respond to the idol by calling it what it is - a liar.  No earthly thing can satisfy us?  Nor can any created thing pay our debt to make us acceptable.  The promises are simply not true.  Idols are not faithful.  How many times have you been let down?  How many times have your idols lied? 

Did the boyfriend or girlfriend really ultimately satisfy you?  When they didn't, what did you do?  Experiment with sexual behavior?  Yeah...that's it...that will satisfy me!  And when that didn't work, what did you do?  Break up?  Then what?  Depression?  Despair?  Your idol has died...and it must be replaced.  Not with another relationship, but with Christ alone, through faith and repentance.

Christ is the One, in whom the fullness of God dwells bodily (Col 2).  He is the divine righteous One who can pay (and by faith has paid!) your debt.  Only He can fill...only He can satisfy.  Again, only the gospel will do.  How many times have we dethroned one idol only to enthrone another?  A person gives up smoking and soon finds him/herself eating.  We all do it.  As Calvin said, "Our hearts are idol making factories."  The saying goes something like this: "Satan will gladly take a cold to give cancer."

This is why the apostle tells us to set our minds upon Christ (Col 3:1-4).  In Him we have been filled.  In Him we have been forgiven.  Suddenly there is no space left for idols to occupy in our hearts.  Christ kills them when they try.  He is our Victorious King.  Our Warrior enthroned on high!  He will never be dethroned.  Therefore, in Christ, there is no good reason for "WHAMMO!"

What Do We Really Want?

This is a question that we must answer, at least to ourselves, honestly and accurately.  What do we really want?  What does our heart really find satisfaction in?  What is it that I am willing to gladly spend the most time, money and effort doing?  These are some questions that help us get to the bottom of things.  They help us answer the main question at hand.

I remember a comment by John Piper that I heard a long time ago.  He said (and I am paraphrasing), "people in the world are not impressed with Christians who want the same things that they want, but only tack on a superficial 'Thanks God!' on Sundays."  In other words, if the Church wants the same things that the unbelieving world wants, the difference being only a matter of means, then the unbelieving world doesn't see God as the greatest Treasure, but only as a means to getting some inferior worldly treasure.  Sorry for the long sentence.

Allow me to give some implications:

1.  This lifestyle promotes idolatry.  This is perhaps the most dangerous implication.  Why?  Because idolatry is forbidden in the first commandment.  But we must not stop here.  Breaking the first commandment leads, necessarily, to the breaking of the others.  In other words, in breaking other commandments, we ultimately break the first, and vise versa.  For the moralist (like me), this is devastating, but needed news. Using God as a means for getting what the world wants without God is not worship of God, but something less than God.  Again, this is idolatry.  It is wanting something other than God.

When I want something more than God, I am willing to break God's rules to get it.  This is called stealing, coveting, and lying.  When I want someone else's spouse more than God, then I am willing to break God's rules to get their attention.  This is called idolatry, but also adultery.

2.  This lifestyle leads people into a greater misunderstanding of human nature.  Mankind was made for God.  When man fell from God, the separation caused a God-shaped hole in the human heart.  The hole is a vacuum that attempts to fill itself with anything it can.  This is called human desire.  We can call it craving, appetite or longing.  This is important to understand so that when we feel a desire we can seek to fill it properly.  We are spiritual beings and can only be filled by the God who is Spirit.  To try and fill our deepest cravings with earthly things, denies this spiritual nature.

3.  This lifestyle leads people into greater bondage.  The hole in the heart is too great for small, earthly things.  They simply will not fill it.  Food won't - that's why we get hungry multiple times a day.  Drink won't - that's why we get thirsty multiple times a day.  Sex won't - that's why the sexual act satisfies for short periods of time.  Money won't - that's why those who have a lot of it only want more.  Power won't - that's why those with great power also have the greatest amount of anxiety and fear of losing it.  And they will loose it one day.  Popularity won't fill the whole - that's why we despair when we think about how fickle the human heart is.  People like us one day, and don't like us another.  Material possessions won't - that's why we have to have a new phone, car, house, clothes, or whatever, all the time!

In short, trying to fill a spiritual, God-shaped hole, is like trying to fill the universe with water using a squirt gun.  We try forever, and get nowhere.  This is bondage.  We are never satisfied.  We never get what we want.

4.  This lifestyle keeps us from realizing what we really need.  In affluent America, we have the ability to satisfy even the smallest craving.  Money allows for this.  When we even think we are hungry, we can have french fries within minutes!  No need to wait on mommy to cook.  We don't like to crave for too long.  Fill it now, before the craving gets too strong.  Get the new phone NOW.  Get the new whatever NOW.  What?  You don't have the money?  That's okay!  You want it.  Get it.  Now.  We finance!  Who needs prayer when you've got money!

Instead of allowing our wants to become great, we squash them.  But as stated before, we have hundreds of cravings; and to keep all of them happy, we become tired people.  Hint, hint.  And we ultimately, don't get "hungry" enough to realize that only God will fill the cavity.  We ignore Augustine who said, "We were created for You Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee."

5.  This lifestyle destroys relationships with others (not to mention our relationship with God, which is implied in every point).  How can this be?  Well, think about it.  Our deepest cravings are relational in nature.  We don't like to be alone.  Even the most materialistic people try marriage.  We think we want to be alone so that we can do whatever we want, but we soon find out that what we want is not aloneness.  When our house is empty, we sit on the floor, look at all of our possessions and long for the times when we had nothing and when we genuinely laughed with others.

So, we get off of the floor and try a relationship.  This lasts for a while.  But when we try and fill the craving with a person, we soon realize they just don't fill it either.  So we stretch them.  We pull them in all directions.  We make people bigger than they are supposed to be.  This is called abuse.  This is why we get angry when people don't do what we want them to.  This is why we try sex before marriage.  This is why we go into deep depression when people leave us.  This is why we can't seem to stay in a relationship.

Side note:  have you ever wondered why people stay in abusive relationships?  This is why.  Often what we want is not what the other wants.  We want them and they want something else.  So, when we get in the way of what they want, they abuse us.  But we ultimately want them, so, in order to keep them, we enable the behavior.  We allow them to keep pursuing what they want, which is not God.  This is not love - but manipulation.  Both are abusive in some way; but definitely in different degrees.

What we really want is God (real need).  They (the felt need) are not God.  So when they don't fill, we abuse them, and then toss them for something (or someone) else.  Simple enough.

Another side note:  this is why pornography is so popular.  When sex with another doesn't quite do the trick, we twist it and make it into something that it was never intended to be.  This is also the reason why those who begin with soft porn, eventually end up pedophiles if they continue in their quest to fill themselves with sex.  This obviously destroys relationships.

6.  This lifestyle defames God and paralyzes evangelism and missions.  Ed Stetzer wrote in Comeback Churches, "It's ironic that most evangelical churches are filled with people who live very much like the world but look different from it.  It should be exactly the opposite.  We should look similar to those in our community but act differently."

When a person finds the Treasure that fills his greatest desire, he rests.  God is the Treasure.  And when we have God, we rest.  The cavity is filled.  We lack no more.  Sure, we have small cravings, but those are small indicators that our true fulfillment is in God, through Christ.

You see, if we simply had the Treasure, this would not be enough.  First we must know that it is secure.  We must know that we can never loose it.  Otherwise we live in constant fear of loosing what is most dear to us.  This is the sort of feeling I get when I think of loosing my wife, or one of my children.  But what if we could have God and know that we could never loose Him!  Threats to our lively-hood no longer cary the punch they used to.  In Christ, we are safely hidden in God (Col 3:1-4)!!  So the next time you think about the tragedy of loosing a loved one, think upon Christ to satisfy your despair.

This leads me to my second point.  We must also know why it is secure.  Simply put, our Treasure is secure because it was bought with Christ's blood.  His blood covers the only thing that compromises our security - our sin.  In Christ, we have our Treasure eternally.  It is based on His work, not ours.

7.  Finally, this lifestyle leads us to a misplaced hope which is insulting to God.  Our hope is not on this earth.  Our hearts are finally filled with only spiritual things.  That is why we must pass all earthly things through the "unto the glory of God" test.

If we eat, sure the food satisfies; more than that however, God, the provider of the food Ultimately satisfies!  This protects us from obesity and anorexia in all areas of life - not just food.  Place your Ultimate hope in the New Heavens and New Earth, and the Crown of Glory that you will receive on the Last Day!  Your best life is not now.  You have the down payment for sure - in the Holy Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit that reminds us that we are spiritual and not earthly.  We eagerly await our Heavenly Home.

In summary, ask yourself what you really want in life.  How do you find this out?  Ask God (Ps 139).  Then survey your life to see what situations drive you to anger, despair, depression or other sins.  What is it at those moments that is threatened?  What is it that you are willing to break God's commandments to get?  What is it that causes you to say, "Sunday is for God...THIS does not apply."  It is work?  Whatever, IT is, it is an idol.

Once located, dethrone the idol.  It will not ultimately satisfy.  Call a spade a spade.  Tell the truth.  Repent of idolatry - this simply means, drop the idol on the ground.  Empty your hands.  Then turn them upwards toward Christ in heaven.  Embrace Him by faith and receive fulfillment and satisfaction eternal!

And when the world sees you forsaking its treasures, it will ask, "What is it that you have that makes you so calm during adversity and trials?  What do you have that keeps you satisfied so that you don't need a whole bunch of stuff?"

When they ask...tell them about the Truth.  Tell them what you really want (Ps. 73:25).

Out of Bounds.

There is one thing we all must understand. We are a wilderness people. Like the children of Israel, we have been delivered from our former land of slavery (Exod 20:1-2), by the Lord and Creator of the universe. His name is the LORD. He is Yahweh.

What does it mean to be a wilderness people? Negatively stated, it means that we are no longer under the reign and rule of our previous master (sin) - or, Egypt to keep the Israelite analogy. Positively, it means that we have a new master. But here is the "wilderness-rub" so to speak; we are not yet in the Land that He promised us. We are in the "in-between" - in the wilderness. Things aren't perfect yet, though we are under the care of He who is perfect.

It is important to manage expectations in the Christian life. One is easily persuaded (because of our moralistic society) that to be a Christian means to be perfect - to be sinless. Perfection, however, is not characteristic of a wilderness people. We will be perfected; but not until glory. Here is where our expectations must be managed and brought quickly into Biblical reality. In the wilderness we will have hardships and trials. We will get hungry (Num 11). We will get thirsty (Exod 17). These physical cravings are meant to remind us of our spiritual nature. Remember this. And the Law of God (Exod 20), gives us the boundaries that are needed in order to keep us spiritual and not earthly.

Here is the point. Understand, Christian, that you are a spiritual stranger in an earthly wilderness. The indigenous of the [earthly] land would have you stay earthly. So would your "old person" who tempts you to follow along with them. But our gracious Father, who is Spirit, and who is worshiped in Spirit and in truth, has given us His Law to let us know and guide us in Christ, in our true spiritual home - where we are completely filled and accepted.

What is in your life that tempts you to reach beyond the boundaries of His Law? What things attract you and pull you so much that you are willing to forget God? Is it work? Is it money? Is it sex? What, in other words, are your idols (Exod 20:4)?

Here is the truth to sooth your weary soul. You, Christian, are a spiritual being in an earthly wilderness. Earthly things are created by God for your thankful enjoyment. In short, they are meant to glorify God and not to become glorified. They are given by God and were never meant to give what only God can give (satisfaction and acceptance). When a grateful child receives a toy, they throw the toy down and hug the Giver of the toy (then proceed after a time of thanksgiving, to play with the toy). An ungrateful child, on the other hand, takes the toy and runs to play - who cares who gave it. In this case the toy is the idol.

What are the toys in your life that cause you to either use God or forget Him?

I challenge you and encourage you now. The next time you are tempted to reach out of bounds for some earthly toy, simply direct your attention and thoughts heavenward; where Christ is. Then say a small prayer and declaration - "Thank you Christ for making me perfectly acceptable to God the Father. Thank you Christ for filling me and satisfying me. I am fully accepted, loved and satisfied in You. Holy Spirit, help me to resist this temptation. Thank you. Amen."

Onward Christian Soldier. Murder your idols. Dethrone them, in Christ, forever.