Idols and Idlers

Change. Easy to dream, hard to accomplish. Many things in our world are rapidly changing. Most we don't even notice. They don't effect us, we haven't yet heard of them, or we just don't care. But one will always notice when change has a personal impact.

I am not going to consider all of the situations that are out of our hands, I choose rather to consider the ones that are. We fail to recognize often that the goal of the Christian life is to become more like Christ, to seek to know him and be conformed to His image. The scriptures are clear that God the Father takes pleasure in his Son, He is "well pleased with Him." In our arrogance however we tend to think that God is well pleased with us. But wait.

We are pleasing to God insofar as we are in His Son. The only reason our life can be pleasing to the Father is because of the death and life of Jesus Christ. To see us, as believers, is to see us in His Son. That pleases the Father. WE don't please him, His Son does, and to bind ourselves to him in faith is therefore pleasing. Because we are "in Him."

Being "in Him" however does not alleviate our need to be more Christlike. Take a look at yourself through the lenses of scripture and in comparison to Christ, how do you measure up? If you look at it like me, not well at all. Yet, we are to become as the one we love and adore. You become like those you idolize. How are you doing in relationship to Jesus.

You cannot become like someone you do not know. You become just like the people you know best. Do you want to know a disciple and friend of Jesus Christ, look at their desires, reactions, speech, faith, purity, life and love. Is it not in these that one will see the followers of Christ manifest?

I serve as an interim youth pastor. I desire to see students know and conform to the image of Christ. I can't do that for them. I can show them the way, teach them the scriptures and live by example, but I can't do it for them. Neither can others do it for you. I pray that God will captivate our hearts. I pray that the students God has entrusted to me at this time will get it. As of now, they don't. Their view of God is small and their worship and lives reflect that view. May God reveal his majesty and may our lives reflect the awesomeness of our God.

Change. We resist it more than anything else when it cost us personally. Selfishness is sin, plain and simple. Conforming to Christ cost us something. Do not dare have the audacity to stand before God and refuse His will to conform you to the image of His Son, because you are not willing to pay the price. What do you have that is so valuable, it is worth more than God? It is called an idol, and it is what you are becoming.

Please, Lord forgive our inept and sinful views of you. Bust open our boxes and reveal yourself in glory and majesty. Help us to know you more, to understand your power, and to faithfully follow. We need a slaying of pride and a resurrection of humility. Help us to see opportunity and not disappointment. Our perspectives are blinded by sin and in the midst of blessing we see curse. Forgive our faithlessness. Rescue us from ourselves and work in spite of our apathy for the sake of your Son and your Name. Amen.