Hungry god

My sister called me last night with the most hilarious story. From time to time my sis will indulge in a pedicure at her favorite little nail salon. Apparently at this salon there is a religious statue that sits near the pedicure chairs. Each time Laurie has gone in she notices there is a plate of food in front of this statue. Sometimes its fruit. Sometimes is rice. Not sure what his diet plan is but there's always something there.

Yesterday when she went in, she noticed a cup of coffee in front of this god. Apparently, he needs caffeine later in the day to help him stay awake. The only thing was, this coffee was in a styrofoam cup and it had a dead bug in it! Now, I don't know about you, but if I'm serving my god a cup of coffee, I'm not going to give it to him in a cheap cup. I would at least use china. And I certainly would not give my god coffee with a dead bug in it!

Does this strike anyone else as odd??? I mean, what kind of god do you worship that relies on you for food and drink? I rely on my God for food and drink, not the other way around. Please hear my heart on this. I am speaking in a tone of compassion and disbelief (with a little sarcasm mixed in). How sad it is when people substitute the real deal with a cheap imitation.

The Lord addresses the issue of idols throughout the book of Isaiah. One of my all-time favorite passages is Is. 44:13-20 (slightly cropped for the sake of space).

"The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory. (The wood) is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

But he also fashions a god and worships it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire, over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm. I see the fire." From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god."

They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?" He cannot save himself or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?"

Do you hear God's tone in this passage? I can almost hear Him slapping His holy forehead and saying, "I can't believe these people!" It's easy for me to spot the idol in the wooden god. I point and say, "Ha! How ridiculous!" Yet, what am I serving other than God? Am I truly "idol free"? How many times do I look to other things to save me instead of the Living God?

As a Westerner, I crack up at the thought of serving food to a statue that was made on an assembly line. As a Christian, I cry at the thought that these people are so oblivious to the Savior that loves them and that truly has the power to save. As a finite created being, I marvel at the God who is completely independent of me. I'm amazed at the God who keeps my heart beating and the earth spinning.

No, I don't serve coffee (bugs or no bugs) to my God to help him stay awake. But I do long to serve Him with my life. I long to represent Him in such a way that people of all tribes and tongues would see His transforming power in me...and believe IN HIM!

The Balcony

We recently took a family trip to San Diego for spring break. What a great city! There was so much to see and do. There was no way we were going to get around to it all. I don't know how it works in your family but in the Archie house, when we take a family vaca, mom plays cruise director.

This means I...
* Research desired destination
* Purchase tour books and study, study, study
* Develop daily vacation schedule
* Pack three kids and myself (which means laundry)
* Print directions, make hotel concierge my new best friend, and so on

Whew! Are we there yet?! For the most part, family vacations are more like business trips for me (as Claire from Modern Family would say) but I'm kind of a freak and I like it.

When we arrived in San Diego at 9am (very early flight!), we went to the hotel to drop off our bags before heading out to Coronado Beach. Upon arrival at the Sheraton, the manager said he was so sorry our rooms weren't ready but he had a VIP suite available that he'd like to put us in. WHAT?! We thought this guy was off his geezer, but who are we to argue?

The bell boy takes us to the top floor where we have two adjoining rooms. We walk into the room that sits on the corner of the hotel to find a set of double glass doors leading to a balcony. The bell boy opens the doors and waves us over to see our enormous patio. This thing was HUGE. It had to be at least 50 x 60 feet. Did I mention it overlooked the marina?

When we first saw this massive party area we were stunned. How could all of this be ours alone? Didn't we have to share it? It was too big of a space for just our family. What gives?

The funny thing was, we ended up hardly using our beautiful balcony at all. We were busy keeping our schedule. There was so much to see and do. We didn't take the time to sit on the balcony and take it all in.

There's a little book, in the very back of the Old Testament, called Haggai. In chapter 1, verses 5-6 it says, "Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes."

God is saying His people are chasing hard after things that don't satisfy. What a waste! Only God can fill our deepest desires and needs. Does this sound like anyone you know? God has made every spiritual blessing available. His free gifts of grace are like the VIP suite with the massive balcony. It's all right here but are we seeing it or are we too busy keeping our schedules, building our houses, shopping for clothes, and worrying about work and money?

Psalm 46:10 is the salve for our weary souls, "Cease striving and know that I am God." Will you stop today and rest in God's promises for provision instead of chasing temporal things? Will you consider the eternal things God has to offer?

Next time somebody sticks me in the VIP suite and I have the chance to sit on a beautiful balcony, you can bet I'll be tossing the schedule, kickin' back and enjoying the view.