This weekend past weekend we celebrated our American independence. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave. What a great place to live! Yet, we have our share of problems.
We see gun violence in our cities and in our schools. Our economy continues to be sluggish. There is a deep divide on many social issues as we saw with the Supreme Court decision in the case of Hobby Lobby.
These problems may seem complex, but I am a simple man. I wonder how much these problems go back to just one problem. It is a God problem. It is the place of God in our nation and in our lives.
In the 10 Commandments, God tells us we should not make an idol for ourselves. We may not bow down and worship gods of stone and wood as the people of the Old Testament. But we have crafted our own idols. Consider these American Idols:
- Television. It is said we make time for what is important. As much time as Americans make for TV, it must be something important. Imagine if we invested the same amount of time learning God’s Word.
- Work. For many of us our work defines us. But at the end of our lives we are not going to wish we had invested more time into our work. We are going to wish we invested more time in the people around us.
- Sports. Imagine if we were as passionate about the things of God as we were about our sports teams. What an incredible impact on the kingdom we would have.
- Consumerism. Average credit card debt in America is more than $15,000. As another pastor once said, “We buy stuff we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like.”
- Perversion. The porn industry brings in more money than the NFL, MLB, and the NBA combined. Fifty Shades of Grey passed Harry Potter as the best selling book series.
- Indulgence. Alcohol is romanticized. It is used as a crutch by many to socialize, celebrate, and relax. But we are called not to be drunk with wine, but filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
- Technology and gadgets. We are never far from our phones. Just try to turn your phone off for 24 hours and put it in a drawer. You would feel like a part of you is missing. What if we valued prayer in the same way?
- Gluttony. Why do we call it comfort food? Where does our help come from? (see Psalm 131) Jesus says man does not live by bread alone. (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4)
- Religion. Jesus did not come to give us a religion, but a relationship with God. Yet, we often strive to make our relationship with God about a checklist of do’s and don’ts. What if you made your relationship with your spouse about a series of checklists? It would not work. Neither does our relationship with God work in that way.
- Celebrity. What if we pursued the intimate details of God in the same we we pursued the intimate details of celebrities.
Did you feel convicted by any of the things on the list? It would be hard not to feel convicted by at least one or two. It is easy to see the problems in America, but realize the fix starts with me. Consider this verse:
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Healing for our nation starts with you and me. It starts with us setting aside our idols. In the story of Gideon in Judges 6:1-35, Gideon destroyed the idols of his Father’s household. That was just the beginning. God would continue to use Gideon to lead the nation to achieve a great victory over their oppressors. God will use us to achieve victory over all that ails us. But it starts with humbling ourselves, setting aside our idols, and walking in step with our God.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to see the idolatry in my life. Give me the courage of Gideon to tear down those idols. Bring your healing into my life so that I can offer the hope of healing to others. In Jesus name. Amen.
James Hatcliffe says
pastor,i hope all enjoy your teachings as much as I do,we are blessed to have you with us