In my daily Bible reading program, I am currently in the Psalms. Today's reading included Psalm 106, which recalls many of the spiritual mistakes of God's chosen people as recounted in the book of Exodus. Verse 20 captures the essence of the entire chapter, recalling the time in Exodus 32 when Moses was up on the mountain with God, and the impatient Israelites asked Aaron to fashion a new god for them, which ended up being a golden calf. The NET Bible translates verse 20 like this:
"They traded their majestic God for the image of an ox that eats grass."
It's easy to notice the mistakes of others, to point out the sins others are committing. But the psalmist doesn't just say "here's what my ancestors did wrong." He includes himself and his people in with the sins of his predecessors. Just see verse 6 as proof:
"We have sinned like our ancestors; we have done wrong, we have done evil."
This got me thinking: how have I been like my spiritual ancestors? No, I'm not Jewish - but I do follow the Most High God. And unfortunately, I act like the journeying Jews of Exodus more than I care to admit. Like verse 20 says, I will trade my majestic God for things that have far less value. I swap the Perfect One of heaven for the imperfect things of earth. In other words, I exchange the Divine for the dumb.
For me, it used to be TV. I used to bow down before the glowing screen, giving my attention and affection to something that merely sucked my time, rarely giving anything of value to me. But while the TV no longer holds sway over me, I have merely replaced it. I replaced it for a season with Facebook. More recently it was Twitter which received my attention. Currently, it is That Word, an iPhone game (I currently hold the global high score - proof enough where my attention has been given in my spare moments).
But it's not just entertainment and social networking that occupies my thoughts. Sometimes I give my primary affection to my wife or kids (but more honestly, my primary affection usually goes to myself). Even deeper, I have allowed lust to linger in my heart at times, or for periods allowed my anger to get my attention. In any of these moments, I am not cherishing Christ, not keeping my eyes on things above, not holding on to that which truly has value. Instead, I am exchanging the Divine for the dumb.
So what do you do when you realize you have been worshipping an "ox"? The Bible makes it very clear - you repent. You confess your sin to God honestly. You then confess your sin to a fellow follower of Christ. And then pray for God to change you. Preach the gospel to yourself (we never mature past the cross, only into it.)
If you are a Jesus-follower, then you have the Holy Spirit residing in you. Pray for God to give you the desire and the will to live for Christ and live like Christ. This process of delighting in God more than anything else should include Scripture, prayer, and the input of other Christ-followers. It isn't always easy to consistently keep Christ upon the throne of our heart because of our default nature. But it's worth it. Because the Divine is worth SOOO much more than the dumb things we give our hearts too.
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