Idle Worship

Exodus 20:3 (NET) - You shall have no other Gods before Me.

In the ten commandments, God is very clear about how he feels when it comes to idolatry.

God both rightfully expects and demands to be first in our lives.

But what constitutes idolatry?

While Moses was up on Mount Sinai, the people convinced Aaron to make a calf out of gold so that they could worship it.

Exodus 32:4 (NET) - He accepted the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."

It does not take a tremendous leap to see that the creation and worship of this man made calf was in direct disobedience to this commandment.

There are other examples in scripture as well.

Isaiah 44:15 (NET) - A man uses it to make a fire; he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it.

Again, no tremendous leap is required to see that this is also a form of idolatry.

Unfortunately, not all forms of idolatry are so clear cut.

This is especially true today when the demands on our resources are so great.

This is especially true with the resource of time.

With all the demands on our time, it sometimes becomes all to easy to put God on the back burner, so to say, and assume He will be there waiting patiently for us to get caught up with all of our other commitments first.

The plain and simple truth is anytime we put anything or anyone ahead of God, we are in fact practicing a form of idolatry and our worship becomes "idle worship".

Perhaps it is a possession. Perhaps it is something seemingly benign such as a career, a spouse or even our children.

Does that mean we are not to provide for our families?

Absolutely not.

Scripture is very clear about that.

1 Timothy 5:8 (NET) - But if someone does not provide for his own; especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Even though we are called upon to provide for our families, we must not do so at the risk of displacing God from His place of prominence.

When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, He gave two answers.

Mark 12:29-31 (NET) - Jesus answered, "The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."

Jesus naturally understood that the commandments were about relationships. The first commandments dealt with our relationship to God. The remainder dealt with our relationship with others. His response meant that if we could keep these two commitments, we could not help but keep all ten commandments.

He also understood their specific priorities.

In other words, we are to keep God first.

In today’s fast paced and demanding world, it becomes all to easy to lose sight of that.

Yet if we remember to keep God first in our lives, something truly amazing happens.

God then helps us put everything else in proper perspective.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/

Just Who Is the Real Jesus?

I have a friend who home schools her child.

One of the benefits to having such a friend is that occasionally I, a product of the public education system, get to learn some things as well.

The other day she mentioned the Jefferson Bible.

This was a version of the Bible written by Thomas Jefferson who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

In his version of the Bible, Jefferson removed any portion of Scripture that referred to Jesus as a member of the Trinity, His Divine Nature and any of His actions that could, and rightfully should, be considered miraculous.

While I find this interesting from a purely historical perspective, I cannot help but realize that this is neither anything new, nor is it confined to the past.

I have lost count of how many times I have heard or read where people try to minimize Jesus.

Some admit that they believe a man named Jesus once walked the earth at one time.

Some will go a bit farther and say that Jesus was a good man who had good ideas.

Others will even venture to say that Jesus was a good moral teacher.

These attempts at describing Jesus fail to measure up to who Jesus really IS and all that He has done for us.

The opening of the book of John clearly lays down the foundation of both His role in the Trinity and His Divine Nature.

John 1:1-5 (KJV) - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Of all the miracles associated with Jesus one clearly demonstrates the Divine Nature of Jesus. The account of the woman with the bleeding disease who steals up behind Him in order that she be healed merely by touching the hem of His garment cements this in my mind.

Luke 8:43-46 (ASV) - And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately the issue of her blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who is it that touched me? And when all denied, Peter said, and they that were with him, Master, the multitudes press thee and crush [thee]. But Jesus said, Some one did touch me; for I perceived that power had gone forth from me.

Along with all the miracle that are documented for us, the final verse of the book of John underscores many more.

John 21:25 (ASV) - And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written.

The fact that people throughout history have attempted to rewrite Scripture and invent their own version of Jesus no longer surprises me.

Granted, I am sorry that it does happen, but it simply is no longer surprising.

I have a good friend whose father was a minister. My friend once told me that his father used to say that a good minister must bring comfort to those who are uncomfortable and make those feeling too comfortable feel a little uncomfortable.

I think something similar could be attributed to Jesus. He brought hope to those who had none. He brought discomfort to those who thought they had all of the answers.

Perhaps some people are a little uncomfortable with the real Jesus. If so, why not simply invent one with whom they are more comfortable.

In the final analysis, we have to accept the Bible for what it is... the inspired Word of God.

Similarly, we have to accept Jesus for who he IS.

To settle for anything less is pointless.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/

When Too Much Information Is A Bad Thing

In this age of information access many people find themselves overwhelmed and confused about many things. Technology has brought us to the point of being able to investigate almost everything on our own and that is great. It has gotten to the point where students do not need to ask questions in the classroom because they can find the information on their own, in various manners they can understand. However, due to the fallen nature of this world, wherever we find truth we will find lies; wherever we find information we will also find mis-information; wherever we find the genuine, we will find the phony.

Most people who use the internet for information do not realize that there are good sources of information but there are also plenty more bad sources. They are "junk" sites, made up of people's opinions and most exist to generate a vehicle for advertising. Anyone can make a web site, it doesn't make it a legitimate source of good information. People need to be careful.

This is true as well for our young people and the weak willed when it comes to spirituality; there is the authentic and the fake, and the fake is dressed up in some pretty little philosophies of man. Perhaps it is the fault of Twitter but I suspect it existed long before then, that we seem to be drawn to catchy, intelligent, short sayings. We love to read and use these sound-bite pieces of "wisdom". They sound good but when we really look at them they are pushing things like humanism or some other -ism. We have to be careful because there is a lot of "junk" out there that would try to distract us from the truth:

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.(1 Timothy 2:5-6)

The one insistent voice I hear making itself heard a lot through the mis-information of the Internet is that there are many ways to God. People are trying to teach that the Muslim god is the same as the Christian's is the same as the Buddhist's is the same as the Hindu's. This is the same as saying that the great "I AM" was the same as Baal. Only people of great ignorance and ones who want to sow mis-information for Satan would perpetuate this teaching. It doesn't take much investigation to uncover the truth that there is only one Jesus and he made it clear that there was no other way except through him. He came specifically to create the way for us and without him we have nothing:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 16:6)

Notice that Jesus said that it is "through" him. He is the door by which we pass, the great hidden secret that has now been revealed to man. He did not leave it open for debate or negotiations. It is a route of love and obedience that was opened for us by his great love for us. It is no more difficult then trusting because that is what is required of us, that we would trust what he has taught and what he has done to be the truth. But that is also the greatest challenge because most of us only trust the work of our own hands. This is the choice we have, to believe or not, to obey or not, to follow or not. There is no third choice or multiple routes.

The fact is that there is only one mediator between us and the Father, only one way to God, only one correct choice that will see us through, only one manner in which to gain peace, joy and love, only one person who makes us complete; his name is Jesus. Don't allow yourself to be cut off by misinformation, counterfeit products, lies and half truths. Stay the course with Jesus, the only one who truly love us.

I Don't Deserve This!!!

Do you sometimes find your self looking at the cross and all that went on there and thinking “I don't deserve that?”

I sometimes find myself feeling incredibly guilty for what went on there. I don't deserve the fact that Christ went through all that turmoil and pain for me. I am wretched and evil and, as Paul describes it in 1 Timothy, the worst of sinners.

Aren't we all incredibly undeserving? But the funny thing is that there is nothing we can do to be more deserving and nothing we can do to be less deserving. We all needed Christ to die for us, the best of us and the worst of us! There can be no smug smiles reading this and no-one reading this that is beyond saving. None of us deserve what went on at the cross. None of us deserve the wonderful grace that is lavished upon us. I guess that is something we just have to accept. If we could earn God's love, grace, mercy and favour; if we could in some way earn our salvation then perhaps it would be worth working our fingers to the bone to get it. However, we can't! We just have to accept the work of the cross and live in that light.

But if we are so undeserving why did Jesus go through with it and why did God let Him? Why did Jesus endure the cross for me who is so undeserving? Why did Jesus endure the cross for you who are also so undeserving? Hebrews twelve tells us that For the joy set before him (Jesus) he endured the cross, scorning its shame... Jesus endured the cross, the went through with it for the JOY set before him. So what was this joy that was set before him? I believe that this joy was us. Me and you. For those Christians that you love and even those you find really difficult. When Christ was hanging on that cross he thought of me. When he was being mocked and jeered at he thought of you. You were the joy set before Him. When Jesus was being whipped it was the thought of saving us that kept him going.

When my children are good and do things that I ask they earn my favour and I show that by buying them little treats. However, I like it even better when I can buy them something for no reason whatsoever. Not because they have done well or earned a treat but because I want to see their smile. They are the joy set before me. Christ's joy was made complete in dying for the unworthy. In Romans we read that While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were unworthy, undeserving and even unrepentant Christ died for us.

So we may be undeserving but we are not to beat ourselves up about it. We are the joy that was set before Christ!! How awesome is that? We may be undeserving but we can hold our heads high. We may be undeserving but what better incentive then to live a life for Christ can there be that Christ died for us when we didn't even know Him, didn't ask Him to; didn't deserve it, don't deserve it, will never deserve it, can never deserve it!!!