"Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs."
Jonah 2:8 NIV
I was one of those kids who was always in church. My father was a deacon then a pastor. My mother was right there, too. So my sister and I grew up in church. I don't regret that at all. In fact, I think being in church so much as a child has a lot to do with me being a pastor. It's not that way for all kids, but I think it was for me.
One advantage of being in church so much was that I heard a lot of stories in sermons. I remember one - I can't remember if my Dad told the story or another preacher did - about a small child who had her hand stuck in a flower vase. Her mother tried everything to get the child's hand free but nothing worked.
The mother realized that the child's arm wasn't stuck in the opening but the hand was too big to come through. The little girl was holding her hand in a fist; that's why her had was too big. Her mother tried to get her to open her hand but the little girl insisted that she couldn't. After several minutes the mother was a little edgy and said, "Why can't you open your hand?"
The little girl replied, "Because I'll drop the penny I'm holding."
Isn't it easy to hold on to something that really has no value or purpose? When we do we become trapped by it. We miss out on some really good things.
Anything you cling to more than you do to God is an idol - a worthless idol. You say, "What's the big deal? I love my job. My hobbies help me relax. It's just a silly habit, whats the problem?" Whatever competes with God for your affection robs you of the grace God has for you.
God has such great plans for you. He has tremendous blessings just waiting to flow over you. His direction and counsel are flawless. You can hang on to something else or you can reach out for God. Pray that God will help you let go of the worthless and cling to the precious.
No comments:
Post a Comment