livetenthirteen

hello, welcome in. here are some more thoughts.

growing up, for me, i didn’t really understand the concept of idolatry. in fact, it wasn’t until very recently that i began to grasp the idea. i always thought idolatry was a bunch of people bowing down to a golden statue of a cow or something. but it’s so much more mundane and every day than that.

idolatry occurs when we put our trust into something other than the Creator. when we let it consume us. when we base all of, or a majority of, our conversations on it. when we think about it more than we think about God. when we let it occupy our hearts and minds. and that “it” can be just about anything.

think you can’t idolize your grades? your accomplishments? your spot on a team? your calorie intake? your relationship? yourself?

you can.

and the truth is, when we make idols that aren’t God, it becomes almost impossible to grow in our relationship with Him. 

our walk with Christ is essential in our relationship with Him. if we let ourselves be led astray by idols, He will stop and wait for us. that’s not to say He will not be jealous, but He loves us to wait. but if He has to keep stopping to wait for us to turn our focus back on Him, how far can we actually travel in the long run? how much can we really advance in our walk?

idols keep you idle. you stay where you are until you focus back on Him.

deuteronomy 30:17-18 reminds us, “but if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish.” the price for idolatry is death. but, God, in His infinite mercy, sent His son to pay this price. all we have to do is stop being stubborn, recognize our idols, and turn away from them.

that makes it sound easy. sometimes, it definitely is not. but it’s imperative.

recognize your idols today and give them up. you don’t need them. God does not bless them.

hello. here are some thoughts.

we all know the verse. “for surely i know the plans i have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope” - jeremiah 29:11 (nrsv). it’s an empowering verse, no doubt about it. however, at least for me, the constant plug-and-chug nature of memory verses in junior high made this message lose it’s sparkle for me. it became a lot more like a math equation to memorize, rather than a literal lifeline. 

we do not have to fear the future. it’s already planned for us, in all of its all-inclusive resort glory. and yet, we still choose to fret over things that ultimately are not in our hands? why not liberate ourselves and stop holding onto things that we cannot control?

being a visual kind of person, i always think of it like walking on a risky path with someone or a group of people. when you try to lead the way, you could end up going the wrong way, you could step in a dangerous place, etc. but when you’re following someone who knows the path well, you can follow their every footstep and be safe.

not to mention, the person at the front of the pack is typically the one who would need to fend off any enemy attacks (animals, etc). 

we can choose to forge our own paths and make ourselves vulnerable to enemy attacks and missteps and temptations.........

.........or we can follow the God who knows the path like the back of His hand and is willing to fight our battles.

to me, this is what it means to walk with God. to let Him takes the reins. take the backseat. let Him lead me, not the other way around.

trusting God’s process is so difficult, but so necessary. 

buckle in for the adventure, it’s worth it.