Jul
26.
A One Size Fits All God
Category: Truth
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Error does not become Truth because it is widely accepted;
Truth does not become error, even when it stands alone!
[Unknown]

Ah yes. The famous quote “Everybody is doing it”.

It is almost comical how we as human beings are constantly trying to justify our sin by measuring ourselves against other human beings who also have the disease of sin. It’s like a leper saying to another leper, “There is nothing wrong with me, for I look just like you”. The scripture makes it clear that is a dangerous thing to measure ourselves by ourselves or to make another human being the standard by which we measure our morality, ethics, and character. When the believer removes the constant reading and meditating of the scripture from his life, he immediately becomes a law unto himself. He replaces God’s Law with cultural and societal law. We become as holy or unholy as those with whom we are acquainted.

-A Distorted Image of the Lord-

In the book of Exodus we see God calling Moses to come up to the top of Mt. Sinai to meet with him. Yet, the rest of the Israelites stayed at the bottom of the mountain and over time, without Moses as their guide, the people went astray. The scripture says, “When Moses failed to come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron.”Look,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. This man Moses, who brought us here from Egypt, has disappeared. We don’t know what has happened to him.” So Aaron said, “Tell your wives and sons and daughters to take off their gold earrings, and then bring them to me.”

Exodus 32:1-2 NLT

So Aaron built the golden calf. “When Aaron saw how excited the people were about it, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD!”

Ex 32:5 NLT

Notice Aaron called the golden calf LORD. So basically what Aaron and the children of Israel did was mold a calf, point at it and say, “Behold Yahweh, the one true GOD”. Notice they didn’t say, “Behold Baal, the one true God.” They called this calf GOD. So here is what happened: they were not blatantly denying God, rather they reduced His glory to the level of the image of this formed calf. They were deceived in their knowledge of Him. And you will notice today that people will acknowledge God and call on Him and worship Him but they gravitate towards fleshly appetites. They profess knowing Him, call on His Name, and believe He approves of their behavior. They fashion a god to fit their desires and lifestyles and call that god, GOD.

This truth is evident; idols in our lives will always take the place that God deserves. Idols serve as your source of happiness, comfort, peace, even your religion.

“You shall not make idols for yourselves”.  Lev 26:1 NLT

Be careful who you spend your time with, be careful what you meditate on, and be careful to stay connected to GOD’S WORD.

1 Comment
Mar
08.
Expectancy
Category: Encouragement, Expectancy, Transformation
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Let’s not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest-if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV

Expectancy! I love the sound of that word. It brings with it an attitude of hope and the opportunity of something new. It reminds me of the time my family and I went to Petit Jean Mountain. I had a great day planned for my family which included a hike to an overlook of a beautiful waterfall. My sons, at that time, were still fairly young and the idea of this adventure was very exciting to them. They could hardly wait to head out; a day filled with adventure, family time, and of course, seeing the incredible waterfall. So we gathered up our gear, packed a lunch and off we went with great expectancy! We hiked for what seems like hours (aprox. 30 minutes) before taking a break. Approximately halfway to our goal, my two sons, the weary adventurers, plop down on a rock to enjoy their third drink and some lunch.
Interestingly, after they are full and comfortable, these adventurous hikers decide they would rather continue forward toward our goal. It isn’t because they aren’t able; it isn’t because the climb is too difficult. Their reluctance to continue is simply because they are satisfied with where they are. They lose their drive to excel, to explore new horizons, to experience a vista that is breath-taking beyond their imagination. They have tasted a bit of success, and they think, “This is good enough.”
Many times, we do something similar. We set a goal to break a bad habit, to lose weight, to start a new business, to pay off debt. At first, we’re so excited! We are fired up and we go after it! But over time, we get lazy; we get complacent; we lose our attitude of expectancy. Maybe we see a little improvement, but then we get comfortable right where we are. Where we are may not be bad, but we know it’s not where we are supposed to be. We’re not stretching our faith. We are not pursuing the excellence that God has placed in our hearts.
“Well, Paul, I’m doing pretty well with my goal,” one man said to me. “I used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, and now I smoke only one.” Another person said, “I used to be fifty pounds overweight, but I’ve lost ten pounds recently.” “I am happy for you,” I told these individuals. “That’s a good start, and it took some real effort to get where you are. But don’t get comfortable. Don’t be satisfied with a little improvement. Expect God’s best!”
Dare to step out of your comfort zone today. Keep pursuing and keep expecting more. Believe that your dreams are going to come to pass.
This doesn’t come easily. People who see their dreams come to pass are people who have resolve; people who refuse to settle somewhere along the way. Look yourself in the mirror today and say, “I’m not going to settle for mediocrity. I’m going to trust God to help me expand my horizons and keep believing for what He has for me.”
I want to challenge you today. Get up! Stir up your expectancy level! Say to yourself, “I’m going to make it all the way to my waterfall!”

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