Drew offers up his thoughts on our Stewardship Campaign.
Psalm 27:1-4
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
God's desire for us is to be free. A challenge that comes in this is that while we were made to worship God, sometimes we worship other things.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:1-11
In this scripture, we see how Jesus was tempted while in the wilderness. He was no doubt very hungry after fasting for 40 days; yet, he chose to worship God rather than Satan.
When you were a kid, who do you want to be like when you grew up... a parent, a sports star, a teacher? God gave us the ability to worship because God wanted us to understand the importance of valuing something that is worthy. However, sometimes our worship gets misplaced.
Some people 'worship' their car, their kids, their homes, their collection, their bodies. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will come out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives and our character. Therefore, it behoves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshiping we are becoming.”
If we worship something less than God, we won't become everything that we were intended to be. Idols will disappoint us. Think about any childhood star and the frequency with which they 'crashed' later in their lives.
Idols are false promises that offer hope yet disappoint.
Those who make idols are risking their own well being.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them. Ps 135:15-18
The false God's in the Old Testament and the temptations that Jesus faced are all the same. One of them as named Molech. Molech demanded the first born child of couples in order to avoid the wrath of Molech and to honor this false god of power.
God offers himself whereas false God's demand from us.
Another false god we hear about in the Bible is Baal. He was a god supposedly of fertility that offered new life and bountiful crops.
Jesus says you cannot worship both God and Mammon (the god of money and possessions). Hence the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19.
Power, prestige, control, physical desires... what is it that you love that you can't imagine giving up? What do you not have that you wish you did?
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[d] is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17
Jesus’ answer to Satan is ‘I would rather trust God than risk being consumed by a desire for something else’. The one who walks on water is tempted by Satan when He's hungry. Satan then tries tempting with possessions. Again, Jesus reaffirms His commitment to God.
These are same idols that tempt us day in and day out. What 'hook' do we have on our heart that can easily get us into trouble... chocolate cake... sales that tempt us to spend... Internet images?
When we worship work, we become restless and frantic. When we worship God, we become filled with love and peace.
Maybe the 'hook' is the pride of life or being concerned about what other people think of us.
Jesus comes and He says "it is for freedom that I've set you free.” Today is a chance to let go of the things that we're holding on to and that, in a way, are holding on to us.