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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode is: ARE WE SO DIFFERENT?

It is easy to sit in judgement of others if we are not careful. I often read the story of the Children of Israel and shake my head in amazement. God delivered them out of the hand of the enemy and a short time later, they want a golden calf.

They wanted to trade the one true God, Jehovah for a statue with no power. Because they were comfortable with the false God. How often are we comfortable with traditions or things that are not real? We do certain things because it has always been done.

There is a story of a church that always closed one of the blinds on a window before the service started. No one really knew why, but it was part of the routine, before the service that one blind was always closed.

The church got a new pastor, he was young and notice this behavior over several weeks. He started to make inquiries as to why they always closed that one window blind. No one knew, yet each service was closed. They would all say, I don’t know, it’s always been done. Finally, he asked an elderly woman in the church if she knew why.

She said, it was because the sun would reflect through the window and the piano player could not see the sheet music. He looked at the placement of the piano and back the woman. I am not sure how that is possible. She laughed, well the piano used to sit in the other corner.

This illustration is funny because anyone can see that closing the blind with no reason to do it any longer is crazy. But how many things do we do because it has always been done and there is not any biblical reason for us to do them. These traditions people would stand up and fight for, because we have always done them a certain way. The traditions of men become an idol in the believer’s life. When Jesus is the only one qualified to sit on the throne of our lives.

Acts 7:38-41 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: 39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, 40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

We are no different today. How often do we rejoice in the work of our own hands. We all have put something or someone before God in our life. This is idolatry, although most of us are not bowing to a golden calf. We still have all put something before God in our lives.

When faced with anything uncomfortable, they wanted to turn around and go back to what was familiar. How quickly they forgot that God had delivered them from bondage. I said all of this to say this, we cannot get too comfortable. We have to be diligent and watchful of our lives.

We cannot allow anything to become more important in our lives than God. We cannot even allow the things we do for God to be more important than the relationship.

Matt 7:21-24 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

We can do all the right religious things and end up lost. It is about the relationship with the one true God. Take some time to think about the things you do and why you do them. Are you putting God first or are you closing blinds because that is what has always been done. I don’t want to be like the children of Israel, building idols in my life, because I want to stay in my comfort zone. My prayer is that God will help me to get out of the comfort zone and do what he asks of me, even if it is scary. What about you?

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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