On my way to work tonight I saw something I can only describe as bizarrely hilarious. As I drove by one of the many plaza's along Monroe St., I saw out by the curb, sitting on a rock, a teenager. This was strange enough by itself, but he wasn't just sitting there. He had both his feet stuck out in front of him, straight as an arrow, his arms were bent, and his hands gripped an imaginary steering wheel which he was "driving" frantically along an imaginary road. Though his sunglasses obscured his eyes, his smile clearly showed he knew he was being watched and that people were more than likely enjoying the show as he flopped and flailed about like Jim Carrey in Ace Venture 2. I couldn't help but laugh, and it definitely lightened my mood as I went in to work — Nice job, kid. Nice job.
That teenager may have looked and acted as if he was moving, but in reality it was quite the opposite. Despite the perception he gave, no matter how hard he jammed on his "gas pedal", he and his rock weren't going anywhere. Sometimes I wonder if that's the same way a lot of us are in our spiritual lives. Oh we look busy and our schedules are stuffed to the brim, and when around our brothers and sisters we seem like we've got our act together, but in reality the things that are consuming us aren't all that focused on God. We're really just as idle as that kid on the rock.
Instead of spending our time, energy, and resources on the Kingdom and God's work, we use it to satisfy some craving for personal reasons, bringing our spiritual maturing to a virtual halt until we begin again. These distractions are often dubbed "idols", so I guess you could say an idol in your life can easily make your walk with God idle. (Thank you English language for making that awkward to say out loud.) A lot of things that detract from our time with God aren't inherently evil as we all know, but when I look at how I use my time I always feel that twinge of guilt if I see I spent more time on personal ventures than being involved with God's.
So what's making you idle right now? A hobby? TV? Sports? Politics? Cooking? Sleeping? Movies, music, or other forms of entertainment? Or maybe it's more along the lines of what Ryan discussed, relationships with your husbands/wives, kids, friends, co-workers, or others that sometimes we focus and obsess over so much it consumes us.
The theme of this month's campaign is idols and working very hard at conquering them. There are so many things in our lives that can quietly steal us away from God, so let's embrace the challenges for each week, let's try hard to pinpoint what it is in our lives that's making our walk with God idle, and let's stop behaving like a foolish kid on the side of the road. God takes the business of idols very serious, and it's time we did too.
2 THESSALONIANS 3:11, 12 - NIV (click to read)
THINGS TO NOTE: Church-wide fast Sun to Mon // Family Group Midweek @ Young's // Women's Devo on Sat // BYoN Service on Sun
THIS WEEK:
Monday - Fast ends at 7pm. Eat hardily!
Tuesday- Finish up that idol inventory if you haven't already
Wednesday – Family Group Midweek at the Young's at 7:00
Thursday – Pray for your brothers and sisters' idols.
Friday- Normal 7:30 Bible Talk at Biggby's
Saturday – Women's Devo at Young's at 9:00
Sunday - BYoN (Bring Your own Neighbor) Sunday Service and Brunch at the MSC
Brett "Thanks to under enunciation, I often forget idle and idol are two different words" Hibbler
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