Vain Things

Read: Exodus 24-25 & Acts 14

“That you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the seas and all that is in them.” Acts 14:15

Examine:

When God moves and stirs there is always competition for His glory and voice. People look around for explanations for what has taken place and the starting point is almost always to look to the familiar.

Apply:

This is one of the few times that I can read a passage and go, “Ok, I have never done that.” In a moment of celebration or need I can honestly say that I have never gathered a crowd and offered sacrifice to a god. But then I pause and examine my heart and realize I let myself off the hook little prematurely. While it is true I have never offered a living sacrifice to a false god in celebration of something good happening for me and I have never sought a false god for answers to life’s questions; I do throw away God’s glory by turning towards vain things and giving them my hope, attention, and celebration. Most of these vain things take the form of tangible aspects of provision in my life.

I celebrate a man when I hear a good message and a singer when I hear a good song. I long for a location when I need a vacation from the everyday and seek entertainment to unwind on a long day. I look to books when I get stuck and celebrate my wisdom when I find an answer. I depend on my job for my compensation and base success on reviews from my peers. I look to the TV and periodicals to tell me the condition of my world and confidence in my economic well-being ebbs and flows with the reports I see in the business section of the paper. None of these things I turn to are evil and it is prudent to pay attention to all of them. That said, they can also become my focal point and I can spend more time with them than the God who created them.

Pray:

Father, there are certain things in life that are just common sense. All the things in my life that supply me are things You created and allowed. Reading books, looking at magazines, listening to messages, subscribing to blogs, and checking the weather are all things that are just prudent. I have known people who so over spiritualize things that they do not have enough sense to open an umbrella out of fear that they will rob You of a chance to shelter them. Over-spiritualizing is not my issue. My issue is that I so under-spiritualize things that I can live and function everyday without ever coming in contact with You.

My prayers can become rushed moments of pause that I shove in between the gaps in my schedule. Google can easily become the first place I turn when I feel lost or confused. My desire for You can become nothing more than a selfish attempt to find the energy, peace, and emotional push I need to accomplish my plans.

I do not want to use You as a means to acquire vain things. I do not want to misuse the resources You provide me by allowing them to be vain things in which I trust. Lead me today to walk moment by moment in complete awareness of Your leadership, provision, and affirmation.