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The book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to survive in an Unfriendly World,” Is now available in the bookstore on this site. This books reaches out to those who may be suffering from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects. You probably know of someone in that boat, and this book can help them a great deal.
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Today there is another excerpt from the book, Signs of Hope Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” It talks about what our priorities should be. We should put people first, and not things first.
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Chapter 39
Love People and Use Things—Not Love Things and Use People
Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of people around you; for the Lord, your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.
Deuteronomy 6:13–15
People have idols they worship or hold in such high regard that the idol consumes them and nothing else matters. An example of this is the Beatlemania we went through in the 1960s or the rabid fans of Elvis Presley who unabashedly consider him their idol—even in the 21st century.
Every idol has his “groupies,” those who follow the idol everywhere, screaming, crying and fainting just because they’re in the same vicinity as their idol. Many times groupies wait for hours to see their idol come out of a hotel just to get a look at him—and maybe even get an autograph.
What makes a person get into such a frenzy over someone like the Beatles or Elvis is hard to comprehend, but it happens all the time with famous people. I think the Beatles were great. I loved many of their songs, but I wouldn’t go out and chase after them. Elvis Presley, too, had a tremendous following, and fans still make pilgrimages toGraceland. Never been there myself.
Having a false idol or god—whether it’s a person, a pastime or a possession—does not make the Lord very happy. It could be cars, gambling, money, a romance, or any number of things. In fact, it could be a legitimate interest, but it has taken over your life and has become more important to you than anything else, including your relationship to God.
When we fall into something that takes over our lives—something we know isn’t right for us—we need to get back to the basics of reading the Bible and having God be the only one we worship! It’s never too late to get back to God while we’re alive and breathing. We can’t until it’s too late.
We need to talk to God about our priorities and make sure they fall into this order:
God first
Family second
Our jobs third
It may seem hard to keep things in this order sometimes, but the rewards of doing so are much greater than we understand.
Putting God first may take some sacrifice on your part, but sacrifice is nothing to be ashamed of. God loves those who sacrifice for Him: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
There is a huge difference between being religious and being a Christian. There are few things quite as boring as being religious (just going through the motions—“talking the talk”), but there is nothing quite as exciting as being a Christian (“walking the talk”). In fact, Christians should “talk the talk,” “walk the talk,” “walk the walk,” and “talk the walk.” Think about it.
You don’t need to try to live up to some idol like the Beatles or Elvis. Don’t compare yourself to them. Compare yourself to God. That should be your goal.
Do you need to hear this in surround sound? YOU DO NOT NEED TOTRYTO BE LIKE ANYONEELSE!
God knew you before you were born. He already had plans for you before He formed you in your mother’s womb.
You are as important to Him as Moses, Abraham or David. He had plans for them, and they helped change the world. Think about it: If you don’t become the person God planned for you to be, who will?
Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.
Proverbs: 27:20
Further Adventures
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1–22 (all the verses so you get the total meaning—no shortcuts!).
Take a good look at your own life and write down each thing that is important to you. Use a separate line for each item (your car, your job, your baseball card collection, etc.), leaving space between entries. Now cut the items into separate strips. Place them on a second sheet of paper in the order of their importance to you.
How much rearranging would you have to do if I now told you to put them in the order God desires? Go ahead and then tape each item down. You can use this visual reminder about your priorities and how to pray when they get out of whack.
Something to Ponder
Isn’t it funny that idols have many followers, but many of them have nowhere to go?