who gets the glory?

how do you feel about the following phrases?

'give God the glory'
'we were created for God'
'we will spend eternity praising God in heaven'
'live your life to please God'
'my purpose in life is to know God'

i admit that i used to secretly think heaven would be really boring if all we did was worship God!
i also remember one particular chapel sermon at wheaton college. the pastor made the point that we, as americans, want to glorify ourselves, not God. in fact, we think it's selfish of God to want our praise. we struggle with the thought of Him saying He's a jealous God (He says it in Exodus 20:5 and 34:14, to just name a couple places).
in fact, we live our lives as though 'it's all about ME!'
we want to be the center of attention... at all times.
we think, 'what about my purpose for ME? what about recognition for all the things I'VE done? isn't it normal and even good to be praised sometimes?'
how do YOU feel about spending your life on earth and in eternity with the purpose of glorifying God?

today, as i drove home from work, a song about being made for God came on the radio. here are some of the lyrics, speaking to God:

I was made to love You, I was made to find You
I was made just for You, made to adore You
I was made to love, and be loved by, You

You were here before me, You were waiting on me
and You said You'd keep me, never would You leave me
I was made to love, and be loved by, You

when God made us, He made us FOR HIMSELF. that wasn't selfish or egotistical of Him; He's GOD! if you went to ceramics class and made a pot, you wouldn't think it was selfish if you had made it for yourself. and you sure would hope it was useful enough to hold your soup! you made it. you're the creator, it's the dish! same with us. yes, we are more valuable than a ceramic bowl, but the Bible says God is the potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8).
now, just for a minute, imagine yourself as a piece of clay in God's hands:

"Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say,
'He has no hands!'"
Isaiah 45:9

now, just because you're a potsherd, a piece of clay, doesn't mean God doesn't care about you. it doesn't mean you don't have an important purpose. it doesn't mean humans weren't created specially, higher than any other part of creation.
but it does mean we must learn to see ourselves in perspective. it means we must be malleable to HIS purpose, not headstrong for ours. it means HE knows best, not you. it means HE is the only One deserving ANY praise!
here's my paraphrase of Psalm 139. notice how we are completely helpless under God's authority, but notice also how caring and loving towards us He is!

Lord, You know EVERYTHING about me: every movement I make.
You know every time I go to work, every time I sit down to watch t.v.
You see me singing in the kitchen, or packing in the basement.
While I'm still thinking of a sentence, You know what I'm about to say.
You are all around me, above me and below me;
     nothing can get to me that You don't allow.
I don't even have the power to remove myself from Your presence,
     because You are everywhere.
Even if I think I've shut off the light,
     You can see me like it's midday.
Even if I've hiked into the depths of a forest,
     You are there.
I am in Your hands.

You made every inch of me before I was born.
You started my heart 25 days after I was conceived.
In my 24th week of life in the womb, You gave me fingerprints.
HOW AMAZING!
You planned out every single day of my life before I even took my first breath!

God, I want to know You!
I can't even begin to understand Your mind!
Please stay with me;
     spare me from anyone who is evil.
I hate evil, but I want to hate it like You do;
     please open my heart and show me anything that displeases You.
If You find that I am on an evil path,
     show me the road that leads to You.

we are clearly 'the creaTION,' not 'the CreaTOR.' we don't have anything to be praised about, when it comes down to it! that is why, in the New Testament, Paul (who was born into high class, then studied hard to gain all sorts of credentials, and once he became a Christian was completely on fire for God, did miracles in His name, was inspired to write half the New Testament...) said this: "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own... but that which is through faith in Christ..." Philippians 3:8-9
according to the church of his day, Paul of all people could call himself righteous, having been the perfect example of a Jewish leader, but he called his own attempts at 'goodness' garbage, compared to what true righteousness is! he knew that whatever he had to offer on his own wouldn't cut it!
remember that ceramic pot i theorized that you might have made for yourself? it wouldn't matter how many bowls of soup you ate out of it, or how many times you were able to run it through the dishwasher without it cracking, it would NEVER be able to gain your debt. you would never logically be at the point when you should give your life for its sake. or even when you should have to pay for it. you made it, you still own it, and it still is expected to hold your food and go through the dishwasher, no questions asked! that's the position we are in compared to God.
He owes us nothing. we owe Him everything.
incredibly, even though He didn't have to, God chose to become a ceramic pot. He became a piece of clay named Jesus, so that He cold save us! even though He was the CreaTOR of all pots and didn't owe His creaTION anything, He chose to humble Himself and come to save us, because He loved us so much!!!
that is why, even when a Christian suffers because he carries Jesus' name, if he's called names or stoned or burned or beaten or has his family killed in front of him, he praises God. God gave the ultimate sacrifice to us and it compels us to live out every moment worshiping Him. it won't be boring to praise God forever in heaven; it is what we can't wait to do!!! "You see, just at the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (that's us!). Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8) our attitude is usually, 'i ain't dyin for no one!' but maybe, just MAYBE, we could imagine jumping in front of traffic to save someone we are convinced deserves to be saved. but Jesus didn't do it that way; He died for everyone, WHILE WE WERE STILL UNDESERVING!
that is why Paul said, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Galatians 6:14a
and that is why, when Peter and some other Christians were found preaching about Jesus, and then FLOGGED for it, they "left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." Acts 5:41
Jesus is the Name we praise. and he is the only One worth glorifying.
"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord... For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay (that's our bodies) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:5-7
it's true that as believers in Jesus, we WILL be given crowns and recognition for the good choices that we've made here on earth, but in the end, we will be so in awe of God when we approach His throne, that I'm sure we will lay our crowns at His feet, following the example of His own heavenly beings. (1 Peter 5:4 & Revelation 4:10)
who is getting the glory in YOUR life?

all the frogs are boiling!

disturbing t.v. trend i've been noticing: networks subtly and slowly make changes to their shows' content to slowly desensitize us to things that are actually wrong - and it's working without the american public even realizing it!!!
if our values are frogs in pots of water, they are being heated to boiling under our very noses. and here we float, blissfully unaware of impending death.
it's already happened with modesty, especially on women. ever since the 70s (i wasn't around, but i've seen reruns of older shows and that's when i noticed the big rise in immodesty...), the networks have been slowly introducing shorter and shorter skirts, more and more cleavage, tighter and tighter outfits... and like i said in my last post, if we laugh at something that is supposed to be wrong, like a guy gawking at a woman's chest, we will no longer take the sin seriously. (see the post: laughter)
now, on regular primetime t.v., i consistently see bra advertisements that not only show a woman in a bra, but have her acting extremely seductively.
show after show portrays many or all the women in 'stylish,' form-fitting outfits, while men still wear normal, baggy outfits. (interestingly enough, the immodesty is starting to spread to men more too.)
then we arrive at the olympics. safe, right? WRONG! beach volleyball... are you serious!?? those women have on the tiniest bikinis known to man and we don't bat an eye. what has happened to our ability to sense impropriety? what has happened to our minds that immodesty doesn't even phase us?
the modesty frog in the proverbial pot has boiled to death without even knowing it.
and now, another pot is coming to a boil without us feeling the heat: the desensitizing of the american public to homosexuality.
americans have already fallen for the subtle push to believe that homosexuality is an inherited trait. according to my observations, this is how that happened: back in the 90s, scientists put out the word that they were searching for a 'gay gene.' that's all the news had to do to make the public believe that there WAS a gay gene: just label the suspected gene and report that scientists were looking for it. nothing came of it, and no gene was ever found, but the general belief among all americans i've talked to and overheard talking is that homosexuality is genetic. and that makes all the difference in their argument - if something is genetic, like race, how could anyone ever say that it's WRONG??! that's good logic, but the problem in this case is that homosexuality is NOT genetic. so the argument is based on a lie.
(the only genetic link is the same kind of link that they find with other problematic predispositions, like alcoholism or drug use or serial killing. many serial killers share particular genes, but there is no 'serial killing gene' and serial killing is still WRONG, even if someone is slightly more susceptible to the behavior based on their genes. if a man molested 5-year-olds, we'd put him in jail, even if he had some sort of genetic imbalance that predisposed him to the behavior. if a woman had the tendency to be addicted to heroin, we would try to help her stop because it's destructive and wrong behavior.)
so back to the ever-heating pot with the american public's values in it.
we used to have the 'token black guy' in different shows. he or she was there so that all races would be sure to be represented. kinda funny/odd/obvious, but GOOD. but now they're using the same tactic with homosexuality. this time, NOT good. the Bible clearly lists homosexuality as a SIN. it's NOT 'how you're born,' it's a wrong act, just like any other sin. it may be an extra-difficult one to overcome, like alcoholism or drug use or pedophilia, but it's still wrong. (for Bible references, in case you wonder, see the end of this post.)
for a few years now we've noticed that some of the competitive reality shows we watch, like CBS' Amazing Race or NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, repeatedly include a 'token' gay couple or a gay guy. slowly desensitizing us... causing us to get used to seeing their lifestyle portrayed - they kiss or discuss their 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' or 'partner,' as the case may be. we are left thinking, 'lots of people must be gay, right??' and 'everyone thinks it's ok, right??!' we'd better get up to speed, lest we be seen as judgmental!
in 2009, an ABC show came out called Modern Family. even the title is a subtle message playing to the desire of all americans to be MODERN. we just couldn't stand being called 'out of date!!!' so, the message is that if you want to call yourself 'modern,' you'd better be perfectly happy with a gay couple in your family.
now a new and slightly more daring twist comes this year: a show called The New Normal. this NBC gem features a gay couple. the main story line, according to the ads, revolves around how they use a woman as the 'surrogate' parent to have a child. again, the title says it all to the american public: if you want to call yourself 'normal,' you'd better get with it and be ok with gay couples having children.
(you may be wondering why i think it's intentionally done by the media. well, here's one reason: americans have generally been more reactive and 'homo-phobic' about men, not women. guess what gender almost ALL of the homosexuals on these shows are? MEN.)
most americans won't even realize they are being indoctrinated and desensitized to these ideas. we like to think we've come to our beliefs all by ourselves! but when someone like me comes along and calls the act of homosexuality 'wrong' and 'a sin,' the arguments against me will go something like this: 'how dare you JUDGE them for being gay!? that's how they were born! it's NORMAL! stop holding onto those backwards beliefs, and start living in the MODERN WORLD!!'
americans are being fed these ideas and arguments by the media, without even realizing it. and it's not just immodesty and homosexuality, it's all sorts of things: disobedience to parents, adultery, and the list goes on.

how about you? 
are you listening to the Bible for your guidance, or are you slowly being convinced by the shows you watch to change your morals?
are your values on their way to being boiled to death?
or will you take notice and get out of the pot?



verses about homosexuality:
Leviticus 18:22 - the original command against homosexuality
Romans 1:26-27 - listed in the history of sin
1 Timothy 1:10
1 Corinthians 6:9 - in the list of sins which cause you to lose your rights to the kingdom of God... BUT as a Christian, it is possible to turn from ANY sin: 1 Corinthians 6:11 "... that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

laughter isn't always the best medicine

my husband recently shared with me something he'd heard on a radio sermon: a hollywood producer was overheard saying that to make a successful sitcom, you have to break at least 3 of the Ten Commandments. then as viewers, we laugh at it... the pastor, adrian rodgers, made this very good point: as soon as we laugh at something, we won't take it seriously anymore.
think about it.

• have you ever been watching a show and heard someone yell, 'O MY G-D!' in a crazy and hilarious way? were you tempted to laugh? or did you bust out laughing without even thinking?
• or how about this? the other night we were watching Wipeout on ABC. they paired a supposedly 'Christian' girl with a guy who claimed to be enlightened and into far eastern religion. the commentators joked about him having a third eye, which, i confess, i laughed long and hard about because they drew an obnoxious eyeball on his forehead. i didn't even notice that i might be laughing at the worship of another god besides God. at one point, he was struggling and the girl said, 'maybe you should pray to Buddha!' ...said as a joke, but not a joke. worshipping another god will result in spending eternity in hell! that's scary, not funny!
• i know i've seen those moments on tv where someone is claiming not to be superstitious, but then the camera cuts to their collection of rabbit's feet, or some crazy shrine they have in the corner of their room... and we laugh at their inconsistency, ultimately at them having an idol.
• as far as the Sabbath day commandment goes, i think so many americans already don't take that seriously that they don't even need to laugh at it anymore to be desensitized...
• 'honor your father and mother.' i'm sure you can think of someone on a sitcom rolling his eyes at his parent or making funny faces behind their backs... we chuckle... no big deal, right?
• we may not think we laugh at murder, but what about shows where the scene suddenly breaks away to show what the person is thinking? a businessman is sitting in his office chair and his boss comes in and complains. the businessman listens intently and promises to make a change. as the boss walks away, the scene shows the businessman wielding a huge machine gun and blowing the boss into oblivion. but then the camera clicks back to reality with the businessman frustratedly watching the back of the boss leaving. and we laugh... partly because we can imagine having that thought. but it's murder.
• adultery? the laughter never seems to stop on this subject. we laugh at men gawking at women they're not married to. we laugh at women cheating on their spouses with the mailman. we laugh at the wife joking about sleeping with a coworker. we laugh at men thinking about another woman while kissing his wife... the list goes on. it's no wonder we don't take marriage seriously in the US anymore.
• have you laughed at a guy surreptitiously looking around to make sure no one's watching before taking someone else's lunch from the work fridge? or how about a kid being told not to touch the cookies mom just baked, and the next scene you see is the mom walking in to find one lone cookie left on the cooling rack? you're laughing at stealing. it might seem small, but it's wrong.
• what about lying? that same scene with the missing cookies might end up with the mom asking the kid if he ate those cookies. 'no,' he says, with cookie crumbles on his face... and we chortle. or how about this recent phone ad that was supposed to be funny: a man is at the office working late and gets a call from his wife, who reminds him that it's their anniversary. he looks shocked; he clearly (to us) forgot. but because of his crazy/amazing phone he can lie and tell her he remembered and tell her he's on his way while he multitasks and looks up restaurant reservations and purchases flowers fast, all to keep his lie alive and mislead his wife. people laugh... he lied and got away with it; isn't it funny?
• lastly, coveting. this one is laughed at and enjoyed almost as much as unfaithfulness. the 'cool kid' walks into the lunchroom at school, in slow motion and glowing, while the outcast kid looks longingly at him. or neighbor couples are having dinner together and one of the men inadvertently lets it slip that he thinks the other man's wife is 'hot.' we laugh at his freudian slip. we laugh at his wife looking horrified. gross. and as i write this, an ad just came on for KFC chicken. a guy and his lady are sitting and eating their chicken. some dreamy music starts and the man looks up wistfully at another woman who is dipping her chicken in all sorts of sauces and putting it slowly in her mouth. suddenly he gets tapped by his lady, the music stops abruptly, and she says, 'keep your eyes on your own chicken.' everyone watching knows the double entendre is 'keep your eyes on your own woman,' but for some reason it's presented as clever and supposedly funny. in reality, you're laughing at coveting, at lust.

sometimes we are laughing at our humanness, at our mistakes, and it's ok to realize we shouldn't take ourselves so seriously. BUT when we carelessly laugh too much, we refuse to acknowledge the seriousness of sin. we are wandering into dangerous waters.
think about what you're laughing at. don't be careless. sin is serious. your soul is at stake. tv may be your way of escaping for a few minutes from your busy world, but we must stay on guard! the spiritual fight doesn't stop when you turn on the tv. in fact, most of the time, the battle gets heated up! Satan knows how to attack when you least suspect it.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 

but against the rulers, against the authorities,

against the powers of this dark world 

and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Ephesians 6:12

don't put down your sword when you need it the most.