Be careful what and whom you worship

Matthew 4:8, "Again, the devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
In this life the direction and purpose of our lives are determined by what we give worth to on a daily basis. Worship sounds 'religious' and for those who don't have a clearly defined belief system seems unrelated to daily life. But in fact we all have something which gives direction to our daily decisions. Worship simply defined is what we give ultimate worth to in life. When something we 'worship' dies or ends in our lives grief is the natural result. People can worship their marriage partner or boyfriend/girlfriend. People can worship what they 'own' (house, car, boat, electronics etc..) People can worship what they create (art, music, writing etc..) People can worship themselves. The media in our world put before us popular artists, celebrities, musicians, athletes as objects of veneration. Much is made of their every decision, success and failure. This week one of our 'pop' icons died. Suddenly the media cycle stops and focuses for a period of time to give worship to that person. Candles are lit, failure are forgotten and the best aspects of our flawed gods are detailed in an elaborate worship con.
Why do we put people and things in the place of the true God? Perhaps it's because false worship requires so little in the way of commitment to truth and reality. We can fantasize and escape the reality that something is wrong on our 'inside". But fantasy never really satisfies and so we see in Jesus teaching a call to truth in life. What you give value to is what you really serve and worship in life. The only one worthy of worship brings healing to broken lives. When we worship false gods we corrupt not only ourselves but the one we give our selves too. Wonder why our 'heroes' collapse around us? Perhaps we ourselves put a knife in their back each and every time we adore a man or woman who is not God. As we reflect on the death of idols let's not lose the reality that God deserves our worship and service. Make a commitment today to discover the reality of a loving and powerful savior, Jesus Christ.

Jim