Worth

"But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves."

2 Kings 17:14-15a (NLT)

After the kingdom was split in 2 (Israel in the North, and Judah in the South), Israel really moved away from God. So God sent prophets to warn them that a great punishment was coming if they didn't change their ways. But unlike Ninevah who listened and repented when Jonah brought them God's Word to change their ways or else (much to Jonah's dismay). Israel seems incapable of learning from their past... Sometimes I wonder if we can.

But this line from chapter 17 really caught my (Aimee's) attention: "They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves." What you worship, what you put on a pedastal, what means the most to you, says a lot about who you are. I don't think that there is anyone who would really deny that. There are simply some out there who have really interesting interpretations of what different idols say about them. But, what really matters, is what GOD says those idols say about you!

Worshiping anyone or anything other than God is making that person or thing an idol. And worshiping any idol is pure foolishness. No idol can compare to God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of Heaven's Armies. How can it?! Idols are worthless because they can do nothing for you. They can't provide for you like God can. They can't bless you like God can. They can't even punish you like God can. They may bring you joy, but it's fleeting. So, when you worship something that is worthless, you become worthless, because you are placing your trust in someone or something that will fail you.

Our worth lies in our Creator. He created each and every one of us. He created each of us to be unique and to serve a unique purpose (yes, we all are called to spread the Gospel and bring glory to God, but how we do that will be different from person to person). God loves you for who you are, whether you're good or bad. Of course, He prefers when you're good, but that isn't the only time He loves you. He loves you so much, in fact, that He sent His Son to die on a cross so that you can join Him in paradise someday!

What has your idol done for you?

What are you telling others that you're worth?

i remember

I (Sherann) have moments where I just have to write in my journal.  Do you have those moments? Or are you a journal-freak? (meaning you need to journal everyday)  I carry a journal with me at all times to write down something that was inspiring or something God pressed on my heart.  Anyway, I recently spent a week with 24 high school/college students up at Jenness Park (Christian Camp).  BTW... These students took a leap of faith and gave up their entire summer to serve in California!  Anyway, one of those days, I led a devotional on trust and I asked them to think about one moment where God came through or revealed something significant.  And as they pondered on this, I didn't realize how important it was to challenge not only these students, but also myself in regards to remembering His faithfulness.  I had to go back and look at my past journal entries and refresh myself with what God had done in my dark moments or times when I questioned my future.  I believe we are so engrained in the present and the hopes for our future, that we often move forward (at a turtles pace) with less confidence and with more caution.  If this is the case for you... may I encourage you today to look back at all the moments when you cried out to the Father and He quietly whispered "I'm here. I love you." Hebrews 13.8 states, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  Do you know what this means?  It says that Christ who was with you in the past, will surely be with you in the present and in the future!  Now, that is good news!  When you and I look back to see how faithful He has been in the past, then we can definitely face today with the strength of Christ and press on to what lies ahead tomorrow.  

soli deo gloria

YOLO!!

I (Aimee) have to. I have to talk about it. Apparently it’s a BIG thing. I’ve seen very little of it, and what I’ve seen has been pretty tame. But I’ve been told by a friend that there are some really crazy photos floating around of people doing really stupid stuff and then claiming that their reasoning (why it’s all ok) is because you only live once.

Alright, if we’re going to be honest, then we must admit that it’s true. We do, in fact, only live once … here on this earth, in this way. Absolutely true. But that’s not an excuse to be stupid.

The fact that we only live once means that we should enjoy life and that we should live the best life that we can live. In Ecclesiastes 2, it says:

A man can do nothing better than to eat and

drink and find satisfaction in his work.

If you keep reading, though, you’ll see something that is very important in understanding what all of this means. It says:

This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for

without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

What an insane concept, right?! God wants me to enjoy life! He wants YOU to enjoy life! Wow! Did you know that?

The difference between this:

And this:

Should be obvious.

The first shows a person that is living for themselves. People who live for themselves do not find true joy in this life. They are the people who will leave this world feeling like they still missed out on stuff. And they'll be absolutely right. They keep running after happiness, but miss it with both hands because they don’t have God in their life. The second person is living for others. Maybe (hopefully) even living for God.

Go ahead, make YOLO a catch phrase with you. But do it the right way.

God gave you this one life. He gave it to you to live. But He gave it to you to live with a purpose. Experience life. And praise God for it. Pass on His Word. And praise God for it. Eat, drink, and be merry, and live like there's no tomorrow. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is coming back some day (can I get an "Amen"?!). We don't know when that day is going to be. You only live once. So live for God. Live to find His purpose for your life. Enjoy life by following Jesus’ example. Take pride in your work (yeah, that’s right, not all pride is bad). Share God’s love with others. Do all that good stuff that will make God smile down at you. That stuff that, at the end of this one life you have, God will look you in the face and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

You only live once. So what kind of life are you living?