complete silence
I don't eat it nearly as much as I think about it
Too often runs my life
eek!
design perfection.
really...want...new...baby...Lately I've become aware of several things I am tempted to love more than I love God -- things the Bible refers to as "idols." Once I've heard someone say, "The human heart is like one big idol factory."
Eating chocolate, making a to-do list, using facebook, decorating a home, and having a new baby -- all good, healthy desires. But when I desire something so much that it becomes a "god" to me, it's an idol. The following quote by Ken Sande really clarifies the definition:
"What am I preoccupied with? What is the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night? How would I complete this statement: If only ___ , then I would be happy, fulfilled, and secure? What do I want to preserve or avoid? Where do I put my trust? What do I fear? When a certain desire is not met, do I feel frustration, anxiety, resentment, bitterness, anger, or depression? Is there something I desire so much that I’m willing to disappoint or hurt others in order to have it?"
Living with my girlie, I'm constantly processing tiny moments in which her struggle reminds me of my own, and points me to my God. Tonight Grace asked for a snack, and I told her she couldn't have one. I knew that it was going to turn into a tantrum. It was hard not to laugh, because it was so predictable. Her eyes welled up with tears, turned red, she started stomping, shouting, "SNAAAAAACK! SNAAAAAAAAACK! I WANT A SNAAAAAAAACK!"
Phew! It was rough. She just reminded me of how often I want something that I don't have, and how ridiculous I look when I demand my own way. I am a sinner. I need Someone to save me from myself and point me to the only One who can truly satisfy me -- the One I was made to enjoy most of all.
And praise God, because He has personally declared in His Word that He has come to free us from the bondage of sin through His Son, Jesus.
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all..." 1 Timothy 2:5-6
These verses point to the good news (gos-pel) of Jesus Christ: God is Holy and cannot tolerate the presence of sin. I am a sinner in need of God. But my sin separates me from Him. My only hope of eternal life, favor with God, and forgiveness of my sin comes in the form of God-made-flesh, Jesus Christ. He lived on this earth as a man, completely sinless, was murdered and hung on a cross, and died for our sins. When Jesus died, His death was a sacrifice for our sins -- someone had to pay for all of the wicked deeds of man. Our ability to come to God did not come without a great cost. Jesus did not stay dead on a cross -- He was buried in a tomb and then rose again -- defeating the powers of death -- turning death on its head -- conquering it!, and was resurrected from the dead -- and now sits at the right hand of God, praying (right now) for those He loves. He sits at the right hand of God because His work is finished.
In the Old Testament, the only way to atone for sin was through the tedious sacrificial system of killing animals. That was the only way to have God's favor. A priest had to perform these rituals daily. Jesus represents The Great High Priest whose work is finished forever. Amazing.
"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God..." Hebrews 10:11
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