Our house has a lot of idols.  It’s a regular temple shrine.  There’s the lawn, the cars, the house itself, the Wii, the TV, a baby, and a partridge in a pear tree.  Now, we don’t bow down to any of these things (except the tree; I mean, there are gifts underneath!), but they each have the potential of drawing our attention away from God and towards themselves instead.  And, that’s all an idol is, really; something that redirects the affection we should have for God towards itself.  Unfortunately, this means everything imaginable can serve as an idol. 

So, what’s a girl to do?  Am I supposed to rip up the lawn, throw out the Wii, and swear off of ever again eating chocolate cake?!  Not bloody likely!  Maybe it’s simpler than that.  Maybe I simply need a change of focus.  One beauty of being human is that you can only concentrate on one thing at a time.  Now, I know this comes as a disappointment to all of you self-appointed multitaskers out there, but research has shown that attempts at multitasking can reduce your effectiveness by up to 40 percent. 

Try it sometime.  Read a book while talking to a friend, or make dinner while going for a jog.  In either case, something, or someone, is bound to get burned.  And, the same is true in your relationship with God.  You cannot focus on Him if your focus is on something else completely.  The opposite is also true, which is the beautiful part:  You cannot be distracted by lesser things, i.e., idols, when your attention is squared upon Him.

And, this works, believe me.  When I’ve been tempted before, I simply focus on the cross, and I’m no longer tempted.  When I begin to think negatively of someone, I start to pray for them instead, and the negative goes away.  It’s really a foolproof system that God has wired in us, if we’ll only use it.  We are always drawn towards those things that we dwell upon.  Ergo, I’m going to go get a piece of chocolate cake now.  Bye-bye!  

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I am a Christian.  There, I said it.  I know that for some, that title carries a lot of baggage, and perhaps some negative connotations, but facts are facts.  I didn’t choose the title any more than I did my last name, but I wear it proudly, even still.  I wear it proudly because it helps me make the most sense of this crazy, mixed-up thing called “life.”

I thought this might be important for you to know as we delve further into the wonderful world of worship.  It is my belief that the best form of worship is that which is offered to the God of the Bible, as He is made manifest through the person of Jesus Christ.  Anything less is settling.

Now, you may disagree.  You may find great satisfaction in paying homage to your expansive collection of Beanie Babies, for all I know.  But, answer me this: Who is more praiseworthy, the commemorative edition Princess Diana bear, or the one who made it?  Maybe Princess Diana is more venerable?  But, who made her?  Her parents?  Ok, but who made them?  You get my drift?  On and on you go until you’re left to conclude that there must be a “God” of some sorts who has manufactured this grand experiment and all that it includes.  And, you know that “God” must be supreme over everything else, otherwise he would not be God, but rather one god among many.  If a god has competition, they cease to be God.  It defies the very definition.  “God,” by necessity, has no rivals.

Because God has no rivals, He is the only fitting recipient of worship.  To worship anything else would be to stop short of the mark.  It’s like driving to your friend’s house, but never getting past the convenience store.  Foolish, right?  So, there’s no reason to waste our time discussing worship except in the context of the one true God.  And, that’s exactly what I intend to do from here on out.

Until next time!

A World of Worshipers

Everyone worships.  The Aztecs worshiped the sun.  The Egyptians worshiped Pharaoh.  If you come between my daughter and her “My Little Pony” cartoon, you’ll find out quickly what she worships.  We were made to worship.  It’s how we are wired.

 You may say, “I don’t worship anything.  I have no religious affiliation.  In fact, I’m an atheist.”  That may very well be, but I would contend that you are still a worshiper.  To “worship” is simply to ascribe value or worth towards something or someone in such a way that they are your chief focus, over and above any other competing foci.  If that’s the case, you could worship your car, your spouse, or even your Beanie Baby collection (although I’m not sure why you would).

The point is, we all worship.  Our interests may change, and we may replace one “god” for another, but our hearts are always pointed towards something that we reverence.  Even if it’s ourselves, we all uphold something as worthy of our love and affection.  I suppose that when archaeologists dig up the remains of our civilization, for example, they will decide that we worshiped cash, entertainment, and a peculiar group of men called “One Direction.”

The question is, who do you worship?  Or what?  What will they find when they dig you up?  What is that one thing that your whole life is centered around?  And what lesser gods are competing for its place?  Finally, is the object of your affection worthy of your worship?  When compared with all of the other offerings, does it stand head and shoulders above the rest?  If not, ask yourself, “Self, have you settled for a lesser god?”  If you have, perhaps your worship should be directed towards something else.  “My Little Pony,” anyone?