Reflection......

I was recently given an assignment to read through each of the articles in the New Bible Dictionary regarding idolatry, obedience, and worship and reflect on how these tie into "right relationship with God".  As I read, I found myself nodding as my mind raced around the events of the last two or three years of my own life and relationship with God.  There was a point when I began to realize that God was really pushing, pulling, and tugging at my very core. One of my gifts is the ability to block things that have hurt me, I call it a gift because it allows me to reach a place of forgiveness.  However, the Holy Spirit began to take me on a backwards journey to highlight many key things (GOOD things) I had also blocked in the process.  It has been an amazing journey that brought me to this moment.  So, I thought I would share my thoughts from the assignment.

I opened to the article on idolatry as the commandment “thou shall have no other gods before me” ran through my head.  I knew what idolatry is, but there were some highlights that stood out in this article that I feel are critical to understand what God wants from us.  One of the most important being the “tendency to corrupt the use of something which in itself was lawful”.  This could mean any number of things.  There are MANY things, people, situations that we tend to place before God, often without even realizing what we are doing.  For me, this is often my family and friends.  I forget easily that they belong to God first, just as I do (A recent reminder of that fact hit hard from another friend's blog).  I often spend far more time worrying about what they want and need without stopping to pray and listen in consideration of what it is God wants in any given situation.  There is another point in the article where the statement is made: “though entirely subject to Yahweh, there are spiritual forces of evil, and the practice of idolatry brings men into deadly contact with these ‘gods’”.  Its crazy to think that seemingly innocent and appropriate things could bring us into contact with forces of evil, however, if we think about it anything that we place ahead of the Father can become a weapon for Satan’s use.  If my family’s wants and needs are before God, they form a gap that can hinder my role in God’s plan.  If God is God in all of the seemingly innocent and appropriate stuff, then my family’s needs are met and God’s plan is easily fulfilled as He takes care of all of us.

This easily carried me to the topic of obedience.  God has gently and lovingly, yet VERY firmly called me out of my comfort zone.  Obedience isn’t easy and I have spent far too much time arguing and debating with Him all the while feeling quite justified because of the seemingly innocent and appropriate things that hold great importance to me.  There was in this article one statement that spoke loud and clear to where I am today: “Christian obedience means imitating God in holiness and Christ in humility and love.  It springs from gratitude for grace received, not from the desire to gain merit and to justify oneself in God’s sight.”  The journey backwards served to reconnect me to many of the little moments when The Creator of the universe was lovingly guiding me and planting the seeds that would not only equip me for literal survival in severe adversity, but would later be foundations for much of my ministry. It could only bring me to grateful and humble obedience.  I will forever proclaim that it’s not always easy, and sometimes I question far more than I should.  The truth is, in light of all that He has done for me, He really asks very little.  My obedience and my adoration definitely springs from gratitude.

From the article on worship:  “Worship is human response to a gracious God, and it needs to be placed in this context if it is to be properly understood”.   I have found that in order for worship to be a true response to God’s grace, we must first recognize idolatry and become obedient.  It is dangerously easy to go through the motions of what many believe worship to be.  We can go to church, we can take communion, we can repent and be baptized, we can stand and lift our hands in praise, and we can put a smile on as we gather as a body of believers.  However, if we are not truly responding to God’s gift of grace through Jesus by our very obedience then we are continuing in what I believe is often unrecognized idolatry.  The seemingly innocent and appropriate things can easily hinder our response to God and at the same time hinder our reward.  I think this is something we struggle with daily by our very human nature.

Having a “right relationship” with God is a statement that I sometimes struggle with.  I think that God wants us to be in relationship with Him no matter what is going on with us.  I believe that even when my life was a mess, my relationship with God was solid.  Many wouldn’t view that as “right”.  I questioned, and yelled in anger…..but He listened, He loved me through every storm.  When I couldn’t hear Him, I knew He was there.  Most importantly, when I questioned His whereabouts, I knew that He knew mine.  That, to me, is just as “right” as being in obedience when it comes to relationship with God.  Relationship with God is right, He wants us as He created us.  With that said, life in obedience and worship….true recognition and response to the grace that allows me the latter, is FAR more peaceful.  I wonder sometimes if we will ever find ourselves free of all idolatry in this life.  Given how easily the seemingly innocent and appropriate can get in the way, I am ever more grateful for grace.