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The Worthless Idols

10/8/2014

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I read this passage from Jonah today and it kind of stuck with me.

"Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!" (Jonah 2:8-9)

Another translation puts it "Those who cling to worthless idols..."

When I pay regard or cling to vain, worthless idols, I am rejecting, turning away from, forsaking the steadfast love of God because there is something I want more than I want Him.

Those idols in my life? They don't look like this so they're a little trickier to spot.

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No, the idols in my life look more like this:
  • Control
  • Comfort
  • Pride
  • Approval of man

Just to name a few off the top of my head.

But those are enough. Clinging to those things turns my heart away from what is good, turns my soul toward what will not fulfill or satisfy or bring joy. Clinging to my pride, my control, my desire to be comfortable or well-liked means I am forsaking the only thing, the only One who can actually give me what I'm searching for and trying to obtain from all those other things.

So what do I do? How do I stop paying regard to vain idols? I'm not bowing down to a golden calf of my pride, so what does it look like to stop worshiping the idols in my life?

I think the answer is in the rest of the passage:
  1. Have a voice of thanksgiving - A thankful person is usually aware of where his gifts come from and isn't always looking around for more. Thankfulness tends to produce feelings of satisfaction and contentment and acknowledgement that you already have so much more than you deserve.
  2. Make a sacrifice to God - I'm not talking a ritual animal sacrifice here. I'm talking a sacrifice of those things to which I'm clinging. A sacrifice of my comfort, my vanity, my own wants, my need to be in control. Taking those things, each time they creep up and demand a choice from me, taking them and choosing something better.
  3. Pay what is vowed - When I became a follower of Christ, I vowed my life. So to pay what I have vowed means I give up the old to become the new. I offer my whole self to be shaped and transformed into the likeness of Jesus. I let go of what I think I need so I can be given what is infinitely better than anything I would have imagined.

And I do these things because "Salvation belongs to the Lord." It doesn't come from myself, from my home, my bank account, my children, my husband, my reputation, from food or exercise or church attendance. Salvation doesn't come from good deeds or good appearances or a lot of knowledge, not from success, from my parents, from everyone loving me, from a drug or a drink, from accumulating more stuff, from a positive attitude, from my circumstances.

Salvation belongs to the Lord. That's the only source. He's the only option. If salvation is what I want, there is only one place to turn - away from my idols and toward the Savior.


What are the worthless idols your heart is running after? What is turning you away from the steadfast love of God?

*This post is part of a 31 day series called Real Life. If this is your first stop along the way, I am so glad you’re here! All of the blog posts in this series will be linked together on the intro/Day 1 page if you are interested in reading more. Click here to be taken to Day One. Thanks for reading!

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How Long, O Lord? (Waiting)

8/7/2014

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Psalm 13
How long, O Lord, will You forget me?
How long, Lord, will you hide, 

hide Your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with me,
And every day, have sorrow in my heart?
I will wait on You
I will wait on You
I will wait on You
Look on me Lord and answer me
Give my eyes light or I will sleep in death
My enemies say, "I will overcome him,"
And my foes rejoice, even when I fall
I don't want to fall
I will wait on You
I will wait on You
I will wait on You
For I will trust in Your unfailing love
My heart rejoices in Your salvation
I will sing to the Lord for He has,
He has been good to me
I will wait on You
The (slightly dated and low quality) video above is a recording of a song by my favorite artists, Shane & Shane. It's titled "Psalm 13" because it basically came straight from that Psalm in the Bible. Over the past year, it has kind of been a recurring theme song in my head.

     ...As I have watched someone I deeply love and care about endure an awful situation in life and be handed evil after evil, while she patiently waits for God to redeem her story. I have sung this song for her.
     ...As I have seen helpless and undeserving people and children suffer injustices over and over. People I know dealing with serious and dreadful sicknesses; good people who are still faithful to God and never turn away. I have sung this song for them.
     ...As I watch the hateful, the evil, the liars, the wicked continue in their blatant disregard for God and shake their fists in rebellion toward Him, daring Him to do something about it. And to all appearances, He sits idle and quiet. I have sung this song to Him.
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But then I realized I was only really listening to and speaking the words of the verses. I had been ignoring the lines of the chorus that are repeated over and over:
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Ok, God, I waited on You for a year. Why haven't you solved my dear friend's crisis?
I waited on You six months, God. Why haven't you healed this child I've prayed for?
I waited on You for seven weeks. Why didn't you punish this man who mocks You and mistreats all those who love You?
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Just wait, Shelby. Just trust. Just know that you do not have all the answers, and you are not capable of understanding all of the story. And if you find this difficult... If you find that it is too hard feeling like your hands are tied with nothing you can do to solve the problems around you... If you find that you are growing tired of waiting on some good, any good, to spring up... If you start to question and doubt whether He is there, whether He hears, whether He even cares... Remember the refrain:
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Remember He has been good, even in those darkest hours. He has shown unfailing love, even in those moments of deepest solitude and pain. He has saved. He has been good.

David wrote this Psalm that begins with a plea to God, a plea to be heard and remembered, a plea for God to act for the sake of His name and for the sake of David's life. There is honest desperation and anguish and frustration and deep sadness in the beginning of this Psalm, but David ends on a note of light and joy and confidence, almost like he suddenly remembers something, a truth that gives him hope.

God has been good. He will be good. He is good. These individuals and families that I have sung this song for... God sees them. He knows them. He is working out their situations for their good and for His glory.
Just wait, Shelby. Wait on Him.
2 Comments
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