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Building a Cross

October 28, 2010

Psalm 135: 15–18

The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;

they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.

Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them!

Idolatry is an interesting thing isn’t it? I mean – we are so desperate to fill every void in our life that we run around like crazy trying to find things from which to draw some sort of value, some sort of meaning. Some idols are easy to identify…money, popularity, relationships, material possessions, control…

Other idols are trickier to point out – probably because they look like good things. Serving other people, volunteering, being a good parent, a good friend, leading a ministry – even being a pastor…

All of these things can become idols in the heart of the one who places so much worth in those things – that they become an ultimate concern in their heart. If you idolize giving to others you may find yourself not only burnt out, drained and without any time to rest…but also you may one day realize that you NEED others…you NEED to serve them, you NEED to be helping someone because if you’re not…how do you know you matter?

If you idolize being a good parent…and your kids begin to make choices that you wish they wouldn’t…you could be devasted….so much so that you would actually question your value as a human being…

I realize in my own life that my idols…the things that are so important to me that I fight tooth and nail to have them…and begin to panic when I think I might lose them…those things…they look SO POWERFUL….and yet the truth is…that they only have as much power as I give them.

They are created by me…mere statues of silver and gold Psalm 135 says….the simple work of human hands.

I CREATE my idols…and then I worship them….which of course….doesn’t make any sense.

And even worse…in creating and worship idols…I become just like them.

Lifeless and silent, without purpose or direction…because I was created for more….I was created to worship something bigger….and all the value and meaning and worth and identity that I am trying to draw out of these things I create…

Is already mine in the power of the Cross….

I guess today my prayer is that I would build a cross….directly in my line of sight towards all my idols. That EVERYTIME I look to something other than Jesus for my value, my identity…that by the grace of God I could build a CROSS between me and that thing…to remind myself….that It CANNOT FULFILL the promise that it makes…

But the cross can.

I don’t want to build idols for myself anymore….

I want to build a cross…and stare hard at that…because the work of Jesus on the Cross…is all that matters.

B.

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