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When last we were together we discussed that idols can be much more prevalent than we think.
We know that money, sex, power, fame, can become idols, but we were surprised to see the number of other things which could serve as idols: family, work, love, etc.
And finally, we were exceedingly surprised to find that even church and theology can be turned into idols. We ended our time by reading Carl Trueman’s article on the idolatry of theology.
So the question is this: how in the world can theology be an idol?
Picture this: We have before a compass before us, 360 degrees.
Now imagine you are on a boat, and your heading is 15 degrees. Should something happen and you begin to go 195 degrees, you would undoubtedly notice immediately. Why? Because you would be going in the exact opposite direction! Now, should your course be altered by a mere degree or two, to 17 degrees, you wouldn’t necessarily notice the difference, until perhaps an hour or two into the trip when you were miles away from where you wanted to be!
In the same way, we do know that grievous idols have the power to turn us completely in the opposite direction. However, when we elevate good things to the power of great, when we pursue family, work, church, and even theology, to the level that should be reserved only for God, we end up off-course.
This misdirection may not be evident at first, or even for some time. But eventually, we will end up at a place we didn’t intend, having only been a degree or two off at the beginning.
So beware! May we humble ourselves before God and ask Him to search us. May our motivations, attitudes, and desires be laid bare before Him. May we pursue not just the good, but the great. May we seek not just to know of Him, but to know Him. Intimately, deeply, and personally.
“If you wanna hear God laugh, then tell Him your plans…” or so we are told by Donnie and Johnny Van Zant.
Too often we orchestrate our own elaborate schemes for a successful and meaningful life, only to be left hurting, wanting, and desolate.
We lay out our own thoughts on how life should pan out, only to find ourselves wrought with disappointment.
Far too infrequently, however, are we open to the leading and guiding of the Spirit of God inspiring and encouraging us onward for the sake of His kingdom and His glory.
In Acts 13:46, we see Paul and Barnabas declaring their mission shall no longer be to the Jews, but to the Gentiles. The Greek for “turning to the Gentiles,” is strepho, and literally means to turn one’s back on one for the sake of another, to no longer care for one for the sake of another.
Paul and Barnabas make it clear the Gospel was originally intended to be preached to the Jews first, but following the Jewish denial of it, Paul and Barnabas were now going to preach to the Gentiles.
However, look forward four chapters to Acts 17 when Paul arrives in Thessalonica, and in verse 3 we see him turning to the Jews at the synagogue there.
Rather than allowing his earlier decree get in the way (that is, rather than allowing his own thoughts and attempts to plan out his life, mission, and ministry), Paul follows through on the opportunity presented him and goes to minister to the Jews. Verse 4 tells us some were persuaded and joined them.
Too often we get an idea in our hearts that this mission or that ministry is to be our sole focus, our sole means of serving in His kingdom. We pigeon-hole ourselves in a strictly defined role, and forget we do not have the right to limit ourselves in that fashion.
We look for that one perfect way in which we can be happy, safe, and satisfied.
But we forget that God’s kingdom is as broad as the sky is vast, and that we will never find one defined role.
The will of God for us in His kingdom is just that: to be in His kingdom.
Matthew 6:33 tells us to simply seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and therein He will provide the means and the opportunity to glorify Him.
I am exceedingly opposed to the hype that exists today over “discovering God’s will.”
We could digress into secret and revealed wells and permissive and comissive wills, but that isn’t my desire.
Instead, I wish to remove the angst and anxiety we impose upon ourselves concerning God’s will for our life.
We often look for specific direction in life, for a clear-cut sign from God (okay God, if this piece of paper gets into the trash can, I’ll take job A. If it doesn’t go in, I’ll take job B) as to which path in life we should take.
I met somebody awhile back who had left a high-profile executive job with a popular Christian magazine because of the stress it put on his family; he and his wife had 3 adopted children and had housed over a 48 foster children, and his travel schedule for work was just too much. So he resigned.
At the time we met, he was faced with two job opportunities: a small, rural church plant, or becoming the head of a high profile, multi-million dollar suburban youth ministry organization.
Given that his first high-profile job was so stressful to his family that he had to resign, what kind of impact do you think the second high-profile job would have?
Despite all this, this individual still was praying, “for God’s will in the situation to make the wisest decision possible.”
I believe God’s will is revealed very clearly in scripture, much more clearly than we realize.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33)
Love the Lord your God will all your heart, mind, soul, and strength (Mark 12:30)
Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)
Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48)
Be holy because I, the Lord, am Holy (Leviticus 19:2)
Are you seeing a trend?
God’s desire for you to be in His will is that you would seek Him and be conformed to His image.
Now, before you go and get your undergarments in a bundle, I am in no way suggesting that God will not, does not, and cannot provide simple, clear-cut, and instructional direction in life.
He has, does, can, and will continue to do so; but not always.
We are provided with His moral law (do not kill, do not steal, do not covet thy neighbors truck) to live within, and are commanded to have a heart that seeks Him.
Now here is my rub: Christianese often suggests we must seek God’s specific will for our life to be blessed and lived according to His plan.
Unfortunately, if we believe this to be the case, we often will sit around on our duff, expecting God to give us some great vision for His will concerning our life.
We are so overcome with stress over, “discovering God’s will” that we miss it happening in our lives and in our hearts everyday!
Do you want to know the will of God?
Go pick up your Bible and hold one cover in each hand: living in-between those covers is the will of God.
I distinctly remember being in 3rd grade and asking my teacher to spell unfortunately.
She spelled back to me D-I-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y.
In the same vein, the will of God is spelled B-I-B-L-E.
It is as simple as that.
**incidentally, i used the word “unfortunately” twice in this post, and twice spell-check had to change it for me. experiential learning be damned. **
Often, when my wife and I are away from home and traveling through little back towns, I will spy a book store and say something like, “Hey look kiddo, a bookstore. We need to stop!” Her response is usually, “No baby-doll, we don’t need to stop, but you want to stop.”
Usually, within the next hour, we will come across a little country arts and crafts store, at which point wife wife exclaims, “Oh how cute!! We need to stop!!!” To this I will affectionately reply, “No way dude, we don’t need to stop, but you want to stop.”
I think you get the idea: there are things we want and things we need.
Most often we realize that our wants are just that, wants, while our needs are something completely different.
When we go before the throne of our great and mighty God, however, we may get confused.
We begin asking for things we think we need, when in reality we are only bringing wants – desires of our flesh that are not necessary to our survival.
We pray for this job or that opportunity, telling God we see no way around our situation without one thing or another.
But we forget, all we truly need is God.
Cliches aside, the reality is that in all things God will provide all that we truly need.
We need not seek certain things that we want, we need seek only God, and He in turn will provide; if God is anything, He is most assuredly faithful.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you as well.”
– Matthew 6:33
So all of this I think we know, but I will propose something even a bit more radical.
What would it look like if we allowed God to transform our wants into our true needs?
Rather than praying for a new job – which is a want – I wish we would pray for contentment in the job we already have, and the ability to minister His Word to our co-workers.
Rather than praying for a raise – which is a want – I wish we would pray for God to re-order our priorities so we can exist on the budget we already have.
Rather than praying for a new spouse – which is a want – I wish we would pray for a re-newed love for the one God has already gloriously blessed us with.
Through prayer we enter into glorious intimacy with our Creator, and in this relationship we are transformed, conformed to the image of His Son and refined for His purposes.
As part of this conforming, our volition – our will – will be conformed such that the things we want will become aligned in stunning beauty with our one true need, God.
May we rest in God, and as He desires only Himself for us, may we see how truly beautiful He is.
May we ever, always only desire God.
