Day 2401 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
1 Samuel 12:21 NIV
How long are we going to keep going along blind to the fact that we're leaning on things that can't help us? How many worthless idols have we set up in our lives that we can spend our time chasing after and worshipping so that we feel like we're accomplishing something? How long will we stay deceived into thinking that anything of this world can offer us something better than what Christ offers through the cross? It's time to wake up people because the clock is ticking!
We have fallen so badly for the lies and ways of this world that we don't even realize that we're being led around by things that don't matter. We've been taught to prioritize what everyone else says is important because that's where we find our value or this weird definition of success. We spend our lives chasing after material things that we think will bring us something only to catch them and discover that maybe they weren't as important as we thought. But man, that having to admit we screwed up part is hard!
So we keep on keeping on. We keep bouncing from one idol to the next possession to another worldly goal. All the while we're missing out on something that's been right there all along. We talked a little while ago about how we each have to choose who and what we're going to serve. Sadly, we often choose what we've been taught is important or valuable in this place. But do we even realize that all of these things are nothing but idols? Do we understand that if our hands can make it then maybe it's not really that powerful or important?
The money, The fame. The white houses and picket fences. The sports cars that go vroom-vroom and burn up the gas, but still take us to the same grocery store as the beat up Pinto. The job title that allows us to sound important so we have some sense of pride or power. The popularity that helps us convince ourselves that we're special or loved or valued. The earthly possessions that consume our thoughts until we get them and then move on to something else to keep us excited. The trophies that remind us of something we accomplished once but then sit on shelf collecting dust. The praise of a broken humanity that doesn't have the slightest concern about what's right and true.
Friends, we're chasing the wrong stuff! We're allowing the world's gold and glory to become our gods. We're letting ourselves become like this world so that we can grab some of that social success that our society seems to thrive on. But all the while we're just putting our faith and hope in things that can't do anything outside of this world. We're building our houses on shaky ground that will crumble at the first sign of change or challenge. Maybe we should stop relying on worldly things to keep us standing and try something else. Something bigger.
When all is said and done, the money won't buy a ticket into Heaven. The sports car won't impress God. The nice house and swimming pool gets sold to someone else when we move on to the next stop. The resumes won't matter. The praise and approval we gain will fade away. But our faith in God and our relationships with Christ will always matter. They don't get dusty. They can't be stolen or taken away. They don't depend on anything in or of this world. They're in our hearts and they give our souls this hope of something eternal.
So please don't waste your life chasing after things that can't save you. Don't put your trust in anything that stays behind when these lives end. If we can't take it with us then it's just not that important. And folks, we can't take anything with us. So do not let anything become more of a priority than getting right with the Lord and living out His will for you. All this other stuff that our world is consumed with may look important right now. But it fades. Don't build your life on a vapor, there's just too much at stake to rely on anything but Jesus!
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