In a tropical rain forest a tribal chieftain bows before a crude figure
fashioned from sticks and stones bound
together by jungle vines. In St. Louis
the CEO of a major corporation spends all day Sunday with a group of wealth
power brokers, conspiring how to drive stock prices up. Somewhere in Asia in a fantastically ornate
temple a young man burns incense before a lavishly decorated Buddha. At a gym in Denver a man moves from pose to
pose, admiring the mirrors’ reflection of his years of grueling training and
drug use. In the heartland of America, a
small group of locals meet in an unobtrusive building in a small Nebraska town
to sing and pray together. On the ninth tee a Miami golfer trashes his clubs in
a fit of golf-rage. A minister in Dayton slips silently into his study
at 2:00 A.M. to Google the sensual desires of his heart. In New York a grossly
overweight lady spends her day with her best friend... junk food. A group of LA high school kids meet their
suppler in a parking lot before hitting the rave party circuit. A man in the suburbs of Detroit spends the
entire morning meticulously washing and waxing his foreign-made sports sedan,
while his teenage daughter spends hours in a poster-plastered room listening to
CDs by her favorite rock superstar. In Seattle
a lady spends three hours meticulously primping and grooming herself before
leaving for work. All of these people
are worshiping.
Man is a worshiper by nature whether we acknowledge our worship,
understand that we are worshiping, or recognize the object of our worship as
deity, we all worship something. The
Apostle John called our idols Lust of the Flesh... Physical Appetites, Lust of
the Eyes... Material Appetites, and Pride of Life... Emotional Appetites. The
object of our worship may be money, possessions, career , goals, ideals, hobbies,
talents, education, power, position, prominence, control, desires, pleasures,
goodness, self-esteem, our body, sex, drugs, food, spouse, children, family, other
people, thrills… the list is endless.
We worship what is foremost in our heart, what we cherish, treasure, and
esteem. We worship with our thoughts, time, and money… and we all worship
something!
God is seeking worshippers: “But
the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship
Him” (Jn. 4:23)
THE QUESTION IS...
WHAT ARE YOU WORSHIPING???
(First paragraph modified
& expanded thought of Jack Hayford)
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