"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts them." Psalm 135:15-18
Have you ever noticed how difficult personal change can be without environmental change? If an alcoholic wants to stop drinking, it's much harder if he continues to hang out at the same bars and clubs as before the decision. If a man wants to break a bondage of lust, it would be detrimental to continue to frequent a gentleman's club. When we flood our minds and bodies with something for long enough, it can become a part of who we are, and sometimes it can change us into something beyond our intention.
In Psalm 135, the psalmist describes the nations as unable speak, see, hear or breath because they are like the silver and gold idols they make. Like the metal statues they worshiped, the people had become cold and hard in their hearts, preventing them from encountering God.
I am no different than these people. Whatever finds it's way to first in my mind, eventually finds it's way to first in my heart. And that is what will eventually mold and shape me into who I am. The world is materialistic, hardened and unjust. When I focus on the things of the world, which I admit happens more than I would like, it doesn't take long before I notice myself becoming materialistic, hardened and unjust. I become covetous, lustful and judgmental because I am becoming like the idol in my focus.
And after time passes with my heart in that place, even as I begin to turn away from the world, I find myself desensitized to the things of the world. Certain perversions, like offensive language or minor sexuality, are no longer as offensive as they once were. They are really "not that bad" or "could've been much worse." Unfortunately, I think this is where the majority of Christians, including myself, have settled. Our world has spent so much time in an X-rated reality, that the R-rated or PG-13 rated versions are an acceptable way to live, no longer seeing that the consequence of a half-way lifestyle is just as detrimental as the alternative. (It's almost frightening how accurately Paul's words in Romans 1:18-31 describe our world today.) (Also see Revelation 2:12-17 and 3:14-22 for more scary descriptions.)
But there is always another way. If I become broken and corrupt when I focus on the world, then the opposite must also be true. God is righteous and holy. He is good and just. He is loving and kind. If He becomes my priority, the focus of my mind and my heart, then I WILL become like Him, just as I have become like the world. If I make God, in all His glory, my environment, then He can and will change me into who I was created to be in His plan. After all, I am already justified by faith, having peace with God through my Lord Jesus Christ, through whom I also have access by faith into the grace in which I stand, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2). Now I want to be more like Him.
Father, help me to refocus my mind and my heart. For all the parts of my life that have settled in the world, help me to turn those places back to You. Align my life with Your plan. Make me more like You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Have you ever noticed how difficult personal change can be without environmental change? If an alcoholic wants to stop drinking, it's much harder if he continues to hang out at the same bars and clubs as before the decision. If a man wants to break a bondage of lust, it would be detrimental to continue to frequent a gentleman's club. When we flood our minds and bodies with something for long enough, it can become a part of who we are, and sometimes it can change us into something beyond our intention.
In Psalm 135, the psalmist describes the nations as unable speak, see, hear or breath because they are like the silver and gold idols they make. Like the metal statues they worshiped, the people had become cold and hard in their hearts, preventing them from encountering God.
I am no different than these people. Whatever finds it's way to first in my mind, eventually finds it's way to first in my heart. And that is what will eventually mold and shape me into who I am. The world is materialistic, hardened and unjust. When I focus on the things of the world, which I admit happens more than I would like, it doesn't take long before I notice myself becoming materialistic, hardened and unjust. I become covetous, lustful and judgmental because I am becoming like the idol in my focus.
And after time passes with my heart in that place, even as I begin to turn away from the world, I find myself desensitized to the things of the world. Certain perversions, like offensive language or minor sexuality, are no longer as offensive as they once were. They are really "not that bad" or "could've been much worse." Unfortunately, I think this is where the majority of Christians, including myself, have settled. Our world has spent so much time in an X-rated reality, that the R-rated or PG-13 rated versions are an acceptable way to live, no longer seeing that the consequence of a half-way lifestyle is just as detrimental as the alternative. (It's almost frightening how accurately Paul's words in Romans 1:18-31 describe our world today.) (Also see Revelation 2:12-17 and 3:14-22 for more scary descriptions.)
But there is always another way. If I become broken and corrupt when I focus on the world, then the opposite must also be true. God is righteous and holy. He is good and just. He is loving and kind. If He becomes my priority, the focus of my mind and my heart, then I WILL become like Him, just as I have become like the world. If I make God, in all His glory, my environment, then He can and will change me into who I was created to be in His plan. After all, I am already justified by faith, having peace with God through my Lord Jesus Christ, through whom I also have access by faith into the grace in which I stand, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2). Now I want to be more like Him.
Father, help me to refocus my mind and my heart. For all the parts of my life that have settled in the world, help me to turn those places back to You. Align my life with Your plan. Make me more like You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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