Reflecting On My Idols

Reflecting On My Idols

This morning my reading plan brought me to Leviticus 26; and Mark 2. 
The passage in Leviticus led me to realize that I had to 1) check my heart for idols, anything that I have placed before God, anything, any person that I´ve come to value, prioritize more than God. 2) it also described the rewards of obedience to God in this; 3) lastly, it also illustrates the penalties of disobedience.

"You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God..." - Leviticus 26:1

The dictionary defines idols as:
- An image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.
- A person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered:

As I reflected on this, I had to start asking myself, if there is anything or anyone getting in the way of, or taking my heart away from focusing on my God. Am I loving God with all my heart and soul and might or have I set aside tiny nooks of my heart and reserved them for myself and my idols thinking that it would be ok since most of my heart and soul and might are for God anyway? Then I remembered...:

"You shall love the Lord your God with "ALL" your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." - Deuteronomy 6:5

My QT plan for the past month involved reading one Psalm each day. Interestingly today I was at Psalm 49. This Psalm talks about the folly/futility of pursuing and trusting riches and taking pride in one´s own accomplishments.

"...Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
His glory will not descend after him.
Though while he lives he congratulates himself—
And though men praise you when you do well for yourself—
He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see the light.
Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
Is like the beasts that perish." - Psalm 49:16-20

Has the pursuit of riches, recognition, and reward taken up some small space in my heart-a heart that was meant to be for God alone? Have I foolishly been thinking, "I can take a little credit, deserve some reward or recognition, relish some praise for myself, save some riches for my own use, etc.?"

This brought me back full-circle to the passage in Leviticus 26, where it says:

"...If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit...I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. But you will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword;...So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you...Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people..."- Leviticus 26: 6-12

There is nothing inherently wrong with riches, rewards or recognition. God Himself promises to generously give His people all of these (Matt. 6:33) on the condition that we love, obey and seek Him "FIRST" and not the other way around. Thinking that we will seek success, fame, riches and reward and glorify God with them is flawed thinking.

God is glorified when we love, obey and seek Him first and we are rewarded by Him with success and everything else that comes along with it because then people will see God and not the "idol" which is our own effort of pursuing success.

My God is the God of the Details and He Works WITH and THROUGH His Children

My QT this morning was Exodus Chapters 25-26. As I read it I found nothing significant at first. In fact, it was more like an instruction manual on how to build the ark, the tables, lampstands and curtains in the tabernacle. I read it again. And again.

Finally, after reading it over several times, I saw what God was reminding me of. In the second verse God says:

2 “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution."

It struck me. Why did God, the Lord and creator of the universe, owner of all the resources in the world need a contribution from the Israelites? It hit me. God did not want to just build / create these things FOR them. He wanted to build it WITH them. It was something that God would do together WITH His people. God didn´t really need them to build these things for Him. They needed God to allow them, invite them to build these things with Him for them to grow in their faith and knowledge of God. For them to see and experience their Father´s love in a more intimate way. 

What a lesson in leadership! A participative management / collaborative leadership case study from the past! Amazing! 

Interestingly, God does not "require" them to participate. In fact He says "from every man whose heart moves him." This reminds me of the episode in Chapter 4 where He uses the staff that Moses threw to the ground and miraculously turned it into a snake. God is more than able to use what we have and what we are willing to surrender to Him for His glory. 

How many times has God invited me to do things, build things, accomplish things WITH Him and I turned the invitation down because I was deceived into thinking that what I had (time, talents, treasure, etc.) can´t possibly be used by God?  How many miracles and wonders have I missed out on because of this?

Secondly, as I read through the rest of the chapter, I noticed the amazing detail in the instructions God was giving. Through this I was reminded that God is in the details. His plans for us were made taking into account every detail. God knows every thing that is going on in our lives down to the last detail. In Matthew 10:29-30 it says:
"²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a ^[y]cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.³¹ So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."

The question for us is: Is God my God in the details or have I made Him to be just my God in the big, grand, strategic, broad areas of my life? How much pain, worry and anxiety could I have spared myself from if only I acknowledged Him as God in both the broad plans and details of my life?

I need to stop, to cease striving and let God be my God and my Father...even in the details! :)

Self-Sufficiency, Independence vs. God Sufficiency, God Dependence

Exodus 4:1-11
1 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’”

Here I see that Moses was reluctant to obey because his focus was on himself and not on God. If we look more closely at the verse we see the following: “not believe ME”, “what I say”, “not appeared to ME (you)”. Many times I am hindered from obeying God because I look at the impossibility of the circumstances / situations I am in and then I look at myself and my resources and capabilities and realize my inadequacy.

2The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” 3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

God never intended for me to be adequate and sufficient in and of myself. (John 15:5)
In verses 2-3, I see God asking Moses to let go/throw what it was he was holding onto in his hand. At this point in his life, Moses was a shepherd. The staff he was holding onto represented all that he was. It was only by letting this go (i.e. throwing it to the ground) that he was able to see God´s power.

Has my confidence, pride, dependence on who I am and what I have over-shadowed my confidence, trust dependence on who God is and what He can do? Am I holding on to something that is preventing us from “fully” experiencing God´s power in my life?

4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—

Another interesting insight I can glean from this passage is in verse 4. The preceding verse (v.3) tells us “Moses fled from it” (i.e. the staff turned serpent). He was afraid. God uses this as an opportunity to increase Moses´ faith by asking him to “stretch out his hand” and hold it. This was literally a stretching of his faith. I imagine Moses could have said “Ok, Lord I believe You already can we just skip the touching of the snake part?” Had this been the case, he (Moses) would have robbed himself of the opportunity to experience God even more as He transforms the snake back into a staff.

Am I in a situation where God is asking us to take that “leap of faith”, to “stretch out our hand (by faith) and receive what He has laid up in store for me?

There will be times when God will grant me precious opportunities like this to “stretch my faith.” Just like in running. When I started running, I could barely run 1 km. But each day, I would run a little further, a few meters more with each day. Today, I can now run 3km. The farther I push myself to run, the further I am able to run in the end. I believe the same holds true for my faith. The more I stretch and exercise my “faith muscles” the further I can trust God and the greater my experience of Him will be. It boils down to a choice of whether I remain where I am or take that leap and know Him, His faithfulness and power even more.

5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

By allowing God to “work in me and through me” instead of thinking that I “work for Him” I, and hopefully the people around me, see and experience His power. I see this principle applied and reinforced in the way God worked through David as well. David´s focus as he faced Goliath was not on his own capabilities and resources but on God.

In 1 Samuel 17:37; 46-47, David shows us the condition of his heart in contrast to the condition of Moses´ heart in Exodus 4:1;10. David says:

1 Samuel 17:37 ”And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

1 Samuel 17:46-47 “This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. …that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”

The lesson I learn here is that in the end however impossible the situations I might face, success will ultimately depend on my answer to one question: “ Will I be self-sufficient or God-sufficient, independent or God-dependent in this situation?”

Workplace Success Secrets

Two Practical Workplace Success Secrets From Joseph
Genesis 39:2-4

39:2 "The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man."

Success Secret #1 - Stay Close To God, Put Him First
The most critical component of Joseph´s success was never in his looks, abilities or talents but in his relationship with God. We cannot have a relationship with someone without getting to know them. Difficult as it may be at times due to the demands of our workloads and schedules, we need spend time with God strengthen our relationship. The only practical way to do this: Reading His word and praying.

39:3-4 "Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand...So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge."

Success Secret #2 - Glorify God In Our Work by Working as Unto Him
The favor Joseph enjoyed from his master, was a result of his master realizing that God was with Joseph. Looking at these verses I couldn´t help but wonder how Joseph´s master was able to discern that God was with him until I remembered a couple of verses from the book of Matthew and Colossians.

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men..."

As believers excellence is not an option for us it is a natural by-product of our relationship with God. The motivation behind this excellence is the fact that what we do we do for Him. The questions I need to ask myself here is: How much excellence have I been putting into my work lately? Have I been working in a way that those who see my work and me at work would be able to give glory to God?

Unfortunately, in both areas I´ve failed many times. Good thing I read this as I was taking my lunch and its a new year. Time for some long overdue changes!

HOW NOT TO FALL INTO DESPAIR (1 Kings 19)

Elijah had just come from a confrontation with the prophets of Baal where he ended up killing all of them. (Chapter 18)

News of this reached queen Jezebel and she sent a messenger to tell Elijah that she would also have him killed. Fearing for his life Elijah decides to go into hiding.  (v. 1-3)

What strikes me as strange here is that in spite of the fact that God had just done several miracles through Elijah, he was still afraid of what Jezebel wanted to do to him. Its almost as if Elijah suddenly had short-term memory loss of God´s faithfulness and power in his life.

What about us? Can we still remember how God has worked miracles and wonders in our own lives? Or has our own memory failed us? Has the wonder faded?

God is all-powerful and unchanging. He has delivered us in the past and can, still and will deliver us  from whatever we are going through now and what we will go through in the future. KEEP REMEMBERING GOD AND HOW HE HAS DELIVERED US IN THE PAST SO WE DON´T FALL INTO DESPAIR. (1 Samuel 17:37)

WHAT´S THE BEST AND EASIEST WAY TO REMEMBER? DECLARE WHAT GOD HAS DONE. KEEP TELLING ABOUT HOW HE HAS BEEN FAITHFUL TO YOU TO OTHER PEOPLE.

Another clear cause of desperation was because Elijah´s focus has shifted. From a prophet focused on God (as shown in his own prayer in Chapter 17:14, 21 and Chapter 18:36-37) to someone focused on himself (Chapter 19:4).

While it is true that Elijah´s situation was really something to be really concerned and anxious about. Elijah was not equipped to face that situation on his own strength. In the same way that he was not equipped to cause the miracles that just happened in Chapters 17-18. In contrast, let´s look at David in 1 Samuel 17: 26, 36, 45-46.

 Anytime we try to do things on our own, trusting on our own strengths and capabilities, eventually we will fail. INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON OUR OWN STRENGTH LET´S FOCUS ON THE SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH SO THAT WE NEVER GET INTIMIDATED, FEARFUL OR ANXIOUS OF THE SITUATIONS THAT COME OUR WAY.

While in hiding, Elijah falls into despair. At this time, God sends an angel to take care of him.  Twice the angels came to feed him with cake and water. (v. 4-7) *

After the encounter with the angels, Elijah journeys on to Mount Horeb where he comes face-to-face with God. In the first encounter God asks Elijah “What are you doing here Elijah?” To this Elijah answers with his list of complaints. (v. 8-10)

After this first encounter, God instructs Elijah to stand on the mountain and wait for Him. While waiting for God Elijah encounters strong wind, but God was not´s  there. Then an earthquake came and still God was not there. After the earthquake, a fire but still God was not there. (v. 11-12) **

Finally, God comes to Elijah in the form of a gentle blowing and again asks Elijah for the second time “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. To which Elijah again replies with his same list of complaints. (v. 13-14)

It amazes me how similar Elijah´s and my own cries to God are. In these passages it seems as if Elijah comes to God complaining that in spite of his zealousness for Him, still he feels alone and persecuted. (v. 10,14). I shudder when I think of the many times I´ve come to God asking / complaining.

Ironically, as early as verse 6 we see that Elijah was never alone. God sent His angels to feed him. In verse 9, 11 and 13 God speaks to him. Yet he still feels alone and abandoned.

As I look at how God was showing Elijah that He was with him it occurred to me that God was reminding him of His faithfulness and power.  Notice that God sent his angels to feed him much in the same way that in Chapter 17 God provided for his needs through the ravens, the brook and the widow.

God also reminds Elijah of how powerful he is by using nature itself to demonstrate His power. Notice how as the Lord was passing by, there was a great wind, then an earthquake and then a fire. Much in the same way God demonstrated his power to Elijah using nature in Chapter 18:38, 44-45.

In the midst of the difficult circumstances of life that we face God also sends us the same hints / reminders of his faithfulness and power. We can find these by reading His word, the Bible, and by fellowshipping with other Christians and seeing how God is currently working his wonders in their life. 

However, the moment we go incognito, start hiding, start looking at our own strengths; the moment we stop remembering how faithful God has been to us, stop spending time with Him by reading his word, stop fellowshipping with other Christians, that´s when we slip and fall into desperation.

PERFECT TRUST IN GOD'S PERFECT PLANS AND IN HIS PERFECT FAITHFULNESS BRINGS PERFECT PEACE

PERFECT TRUST IN GOD'S PERFECT PLANS AND IN HIS PERFECT FAITHFULNESS BRINGS PERFECT PEACE (Isaiah 25-26)

Isaiah 25:1 "O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness."

Isaiah 26:3-4 "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock."...

LOOK BACK AND THANK GOD...LOOK FORWARD AND TRUST GOD!

God's Fatherly Love, Grace and Patient Restoration

God loves us with the kind of love that never fails (1 Corinthians 13:7 "Love never fails...") and never gives up. Its an EVERLASTING love just as the verse below says. I couldn't help but notice how the word "AGAIN" clearly emphasizes just how EVERLASTING His love is. There are times when WE move away from God, disobey Him, make a mess of things (our life) and destroy what He was building in and through us. Yet He chooses to deal with us patiently and kindly (1 Corinthians 13:4 " Love is patient. Love is kind...") and out of love for us calls us back. He relentlessly draws us back to Him and AGAIN rebuilds, restores and renews us.

(Jeremiah 31:3-5) "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I HAVE LOVED YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE; Therefore I HAVE DRAWN YOU WITH LOVINGKINDNESS. “AGAIN I will build you and you will be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! AGAIN you will take up your tambourines, And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers. “AGAIN you will plant vineyards On the hills of Samaria; The planters will plant And will enjoy them."

The process of restoration and renewal although good is not always painless. Much like a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis trying to BREAK FREE of the old and ugly cocoon that traps its beauty. This is often exactly what its like when we decide to repent and ask God to renew and restore us. It will involve destroying old and dearly loved destructive habits, veering away from cherished bad company and facing up to our own faults and helplessness to name a few. This is where the "weeping" is as we come back to the Lord. The encouragement is that although weeping, He is with us leading us and as we walk with Him on the path of restoration He provides (streams of water) all we will need to see it through and eventually walk without stumbling.

(Jeremiah 31:9) “With WEEPING THEY WILL COME, And by supplication I WILL LEAD THEM; I will MAKE THEM WALK BY STREAMS OF WATERS, ON A STRAIGHT PATH in which THEY WILL NOT STUMBLE; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.”

I used to think that restoration was my responsibility. That I had to "fix" myself first before I could go back to God. Thinking that I would deal with my old sinful nature first on my own and then return to God. The TRUTH that I've come to realize is that I can't and don't have the strength to "fix" myself and deal with my old sinful nature. Restoration comes from God. Acknowledging we can't do it/fix it on our own and asking for Him to draw us back is the beginning of the process of restoration. God is just waiting patiently and YEARNING for us to accept this. In fact, in the verse below it says: "I certainly still remember Him..My heart YEARNS for him.

(Jeremiah 31:18-20) “I have surely heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained calf; BRING ME BACK THAT I MAY BE RESTORED FOR YOU ARE THE LORD MY GOD, ‘For after I turned back, I repented; And after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh; I was ashamed and also humiliated Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ “Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, AS OFTEN AS I HAVE SPOKEN AGAINST HIM, I certainly STILL REMEMBER HIM; Therefore MY HEART YEARNS FOR HIM; I WILL surely HAVE MERCY ON HIM,” declares the LORD."

If you are reading this now, perhaps God is calling you back to Him. He misses you like a father misses his own son that went away. He is waiting, yearning for you to come back. His mercy and grace are just waiting to be poured out on you to cover you just like the new robe covered the prodigal son when he returned home to his father. The ring which is a symbol of your "sonship" is waiting to be put back on your finger. The sandals waiting to be put back on your feet. A roasted calf and the best wine is waiting to be served in celebration for your return. The best part of it all is that you don't have to RUN ALL THE WAY BACK HOME ON YOUR OWN. All you need to do is decide to turn back and God Himself will run to you and meet you just as the father ran toward his son when the son decided to come back home.

(Luke 15:20) "So he got up and came to his father, BUT WHILE HE WAS STILL A LONG WAY OFF, HIS FATHER FELT COMPASSION FOR HIM, AND RAN AND EMBRACED HIM AND KISSED HIM."

So what are you waiting for? If you feel that God is calling you back, then return. Wherever you are right now, in the silence of your heart pray and ask God something like this : "Heavenly Father, I know I have sinned against You, that my sin separates me from You and there is nothing I can do on my own to be worthy of Your forgiveness. I am truly sorry. I now turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me. I believe that Your son Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for the penalty of my sins, that He was raised from the dead and is now at Your right hand with all authority. I invite Jesus into my heart to become my Lord and Savior, to rule and reign in my life from this day forward. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.