Accepting No Substitute

In a commentary Andy Rooney talks about how we have substituted the original with other things. He says, “They take perfectly good water and louse it up with kiwi and strawberry. I’d have to be dying of thirst on a desert island. Sour cream and onion potato chips. I guess the sour cream and onions aren’t even real. It says its ‘artificially flavored.’ A can of raspberry-flavored tea says ‘more tea taste.’ So what’s the raspberry all about, if they want it to taste like tea?” He goes on, “Honey is very big in everything now. Honey Nut Cheerios, Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts, Honey Mustard Pretzel Dip. Honey doesn’t go with either peanuts or mustard. But I have an idea that honey is cheap because the bees are making it faster than we’re eating it.” “You know,” Rooney says, “maybe I’ll retire and go into business. I’d make artificially flavored, fat-free, honey-coated hazelnut hot dog. You could have it with no-cal French vanilla or chocolate-flavored mustard.” Sometimes there is no substituting for the real thing.

God’s complaint against Israel is that they have substituted their relationship with Him for something else. They traded their worth as the people of God for worthless idols. This is easy when we stop asking the right questions. When our lives get so secure that we stop seeking God’s protection and provision we stop asking the questions that are important. We forget who we are as a people. The question the people of Judah forgot to ask and we forget to ask is “Where is the Lord?” “Where is God in my life?” If you were to list the priorities of your life right now and then apply this question to each of those priorities would it make any difference? When we stop asking God “What are you doing in my life?” We start substituting the role of God with something or someone else.

Read Jeremiah 2:4-13.

More than Disobedience

Many of us will come to a place in our life and we recognize that we have made an idol out of this drug, alcohol, relationship, technology and we vow to change. We recognize our disobedience and make a promise never to do it again. We say we will never fall victim to that idol again. We will try harder next time. We will focus more intently. We will change. Mark Twain said about resolutions: “Now is the time to make your annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” The point is no matter how many promises we make for another chance, another opportunitiy, another time we still fail. As long as we think disobedience is the issue we will continue to be careless with our lives. Disobedience is the symptom to a bigger problem. It is impossible to change our ways without an inner change. Idolatry is a heart issue. The heart is the seat of idolatry. That was Israel’s problem. It wasn’t the disobedience that God was upset about. It was the idolatry. Idolatry leads to disobedience. Idolatry is a lack of trust in God. We turn to these other things or people to satisfy us when only God can satisfy. When we allow our heart to cling to something or someone other than God than we say to God you are not what I need. We were made for God so when we rely on something or someone else for ultimate security it is sin.