When Good Things Become Bad

There is a song that I enjoy called "Good Things" by M'Kalister Park. This song talks about how good things can become bad things. Ever since I read a particular Bible passage the other day, I've had it running through my head. Why? Because letting a good thing become a bad thing is exactly what the Israelites did.

The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies, inside of the tabernacle, where the Israelites would go to make sacrifices of worship to God. Inside, one could find several objects that were touched by God and important to Israel's heritage. The Ark was a reminder of God's miracles and provision from the days when He had appointed Moses to lead them out of Egyptian slavery.

The ark was fine and good when viewed as a symbol of God's power and provision. The problem began when Israel began to view the ark as a good luck charm and a source of power. With this false mindset in their heads, they removed it from the place where God had commanded it to be kept. Israel then brought it with them into battle against the Philistines.

What happened next? Rather than the power and blessing they undoubtedly expected, Israel lost the battle. On top of that, the Ark of the Covenant got captured by the Philistine army. God used this time to teach both parties a lesson. To Israel, their defeat and loss of this precious item was a reminder that power and blessings do not reside in things- they come from Him. To the Philistines, God showed His power by knocking over and breaking their idol god, Dagon. Beyond that, the Philistines and anyone who was near the ark began to go crazy and break out with tumors.

You can read the whole story in 1 Samuel 5.

This account reminds us to check ourselves: are we worshipping God? Or are we just thinking of Him or things related to Him as good luck charms? 

What is your captor?

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. - Judges 3:7-8

While forced labor isn't as common in the world now as it was in those days, the principal of this passage still holds true today: when we take our eyes off of God and stray from His ways, we will find ourselves in captivity. Likely not physical captivity, but often times we can fall prey to emotional or psychological captivity. Or, perhaps we may find ourselves in captivity to addictions of varying sorts, whether it be something as bad as drugs or alcohol or something innocent looking as online video streaming or social media. 

Are you looking to God for comfort and direction, or are you on a mission to drown your sorrows and life complications with the random things that suit your fancy in the short-term?

Life: Too hectic for God?

We all get this feeling eventually: life is hectic! For some of us, it means going to work and trying to take care of as much at home as we have time for in between shifts. For others it means trying to keep up with their children and families, or perhaps working super hard to do their best in school. All of these pursuits are great, when framed in the context that we are doing our best at whatever we are doing because we want to represent the kingdom of God in every piece of life. Sometimes, however, that context is difficult to keep in sight.

Sometimes we wake up late and are scrambling to keep on top of everything; we let the stress of the day take over and push out any thought of God's hand in it all. We don't even bother trying to seek the kingdom of God because currently our kingdom is going to fall apart if we don't do something! 

Once in awhile, it's good to stop and refocus. Matthew 6:33 says "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." That seems to hold up. I don't know about you, but I notice on the days that I consciously stop and take some time to focus on God before getting caught up in the tasks of the day, often those end up being my most productive and fulfilling days. 

Do you ever notice that in your life, too?

Burning the Idols

"The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God." - Deuteronomy 7:25

While we aren’t ancient Israel, the principal here is still an important one. It essentially breaks down to this: “Do not keep even little pieces of what is detestable to God in your life.” This can be easier said than done.

It is one thing to obliterate an idol made of wood or metal. Giving up an object like that can be done quickly, all at once. But what about the idols that we have in our lives? Our idols tend to reside in our hearts and minds- things such as obsessing over sports and celebrities, making money too high of a priority, or habitually lusting after someone or something. Anything that is either displeasing to God or elevated to a place in our life where we deep down want it more than we want Him is an idol.

False gods such as these are harder to rip from our lives. We can pray and confess to God the sins we’ve committed against Him, yet if we don't completely cease that action and destroy the idols, shards of them can remain in our lives and draw us away from the Lord and back to themselves.

Stop and think: are there parts of idols still tucked away in the corners of your heart?

Christian Service: Are You Doing it Right?

Tip: If you don't have the right lens for blurring out the background, try to find a backdrop that will complement and/or go with your food photography! Don't show off a messy kitchen :)

There are so many ways that we can serve our Creator; more likely than not, at some point in your life, you have (or will!) be asking yourself what your "calling" is. You might be completely blank and just know you want to do something, or you might have a head full of bright ideas that you are trying with all your might to pursue. Having a strong desire to serve God is wonderful, but it was recently pointed out to me that even with good intentions, we must stop and make sure we have our priorities straight.

A person can go through their life running like crazy trying to keep up with their "dream goal" of service to God, and in the process, find themselves lacking time for Bible study and starting to neglect the practice of those great traits mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). When you start really stressing about trying to serve God, a question must be asked: are you really doing this activity for Him, or are you doing it because it gives you a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of worth?

Matthew 6:21 says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Where is your heart at? If something happens and your ability to do your project for God gets taken from you, will you be absolutely torn up about it, or will you be able to move on, knowing that your worth and identity are in Him? Doing projects for the benefit of God's kingdom is a wonderful use of time- just don't let those projects become idols that you prioritize above God Himself.

3 Ways Santa Tries to Play God

Tip: The device is only as good as the person using it. Never think you have to spend hundreds to take good pictures. This shot was done on the new iPod Touch 6g. Practice the trade and your photos can look good no matter what you used to capture them!

Please tell me I am not the only one who finds the idea of Santa Clause both repulsive and creepy. When Christmas rolls around each year, people seem to make as big of a deal of Santa as they do of Jesus's birth (if not more so). This in and of itself is not right- if something is competing with God for glory, that is idolatry. On top of that, people are turning a historical figure (Nikolaos of Myra) into a mythical character who possesses qualities that belong to God alone.

The lyrics of a popular Santa song are:
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town 
1.) Santa is projected as someone who has a moral law that he requires the children of the world to adhere to if they desire to be rewarded. God has a moral law too, the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20, which must be held to perfection to attain eternal life (which we KNOW none of us can do- but God in His gracious providence provides propitiation for us; I have yet to see Santa try that).

2.) Santa separates the good from the bad; God does so too-  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." (Matthew 25:31-32).

3.) Santa is supposedly omniscient, as he "sees you when you're sleeping", "knows when you're awake", and "knows if you've been bad or good". Proverbs 15:3 says of God, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."

Remember Who this season was really meant to celebrate. Give God the glory that is due to Him.

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand."  (Psalm 95:6-7)

I Practice Idolatry?

 Tip: For concert photography, shoot with high ISO numbers, open your aperture as wide as you can, and take a lot of test images with different shutter speeds to see how high of one you can get before your image goes dark. The higher your shutter speed, the less blurring will happen.

A couple of friends and I drove two hours and stood in a massive line to get into the concert hall. The adrenaline rush I experienced as I neared the door to the stage room was comparable to the feeling you get just as you reach the top of the first hill on a roller coaster (minus the terror). I was SO thrilled that it was happening: we were moments away from seeing one of my absolute favorite musicians play!

Hold up, there; doesn't God deserve some excitement? Do we ever feel thrilled at the privilege of going to Him in prayer? Are we filled with anticipation when we are about to open His word and read about the great things our Creator has done and learn how we can better please Him with our lives? We ought to at least be gladly looking forward to these activities, even if we aren't bursting with adrenaline over them.

In Exodus 20:3, our Lord states, "you shall have no other gods before Me". While worshiping handmade idols might not be an issue in your life, it is very possible that you may still be unwittingly participating in idolatry; anyone or anything that takes precedence over God in your life can be an idol. Will you put down your Bible the second you receive a text message or social media notification? Do you forsake spending time in prayer so that you will have a little extra time to spend hanging out with people or playing games? Or perhaps take credit for yourself that ought to be directed back to your Creator? I've been guilty of all of those- sometimes I still am.

Today, let your prayer be that God would forgive you of the idolatry that seeps into your life, and that He would give you the ability to live out today for the glory of His name.

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the gory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)