God with a big "G"

Hello dear friends,

Well, it's been a busy week full of travel and getting reacquainted with old friends. I am so thrilled to share that my home church, Cornerstone MCC in Mobile, Alabama, has a new pastor: Rev. Lee Carlton. Having met Rev. Carlton this weekend, I can tell he is a man of God who is full of love and compassion. I know in my heart that he is the right man for this congregation and they will learn much from his character.

That being said, I've been reading through the Old Testament and am in 2 Kings now. If you haven't read it for fear that it is just a list of kings and their exploits, you are missing a wonderful lesson in how God dealt with His people in the years after they insisted on having their own king. Some did right in the sight of the Lord. Some did evil in the sight of the Lord. And some, as in 2 Kings 17:37-41, did good things to honor the Lord and yet still clung to the old ways and old religions...the old idols.

The key here is v.41, "Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols."

To answer whether this is an issue in our own lives, we must first define that which is an IDOL. The word for IDOL used here is pasiyl which means vain or graven. This is where we get our word vanity. These were images that they carved themselves for their own use. And, as in vanity, they served no purpose except for the "feel good" factor!

Taking this a step further, we can understand why God would have a problem with other gods. He specifically says to worship Jehovah God only. And in Rev. 3:15-16, He is very clear when addressing the church at Laodicea that He would that people be either hot or cold and not lukewarm in their faith. Those with gods are lukewarm. They think they're doing everything right and loving the Lord, but they don't see the small images (idols) they have formed by their own hands and minds that take away from their intimacy with Jehovah God.

I've met a rare few who do not fall into this sin, myself included. It may be an addiction. It may be a mental health issue. It may be another person who has your attention and takes away your full attnetion from the Savior. Whatever that issue is, take a moment with the Lord and simply ask Him to show you if you have a "little g" god in your life. When we get rid of and ask forgiveness for those things that draw us away, we find a life of abundance, peace and power unlike anything we've ever known. We find the true life and love for the Lord.

May God bless you richly as you seek Him knowing that when you seek Him with your whole heart, you will most certainly find Him.

CLG-B