Recently in our teen program I have been teaching through the book of Judges. In the course of studying for these messages I’ve read about the subject of Idolatry quite a bit. Idolatry in the book of Judges?!? I know… what a shock. In studying idolatry, I began mulling over how this applied to us in modern western culture. Unless you grew up very different than me I doubt any of us know someone who actively worships a graven image or some kind of physical idol. Understanding that, I searched for a modern definition or explanation of an idol in our lives and culture. I came across many, but the one that stood out the most to me was from John Piper, he says:

I think to cover all the cases, we should probably define an idol (and I think this is a biblical definition) as anything that we come to rely on for some blessing, or help, or guidance in the place of a wholehearted reliance on the true and living God. That’s my working definition of idol.

The rest of what we talk about is going to stem from this understanding of idolatry. In short, I believe that politics, in one form or another has become an idol to almost everyone, and sadly enough even to a large part of Christendom. Now if that upsets you, stick around and we can try and discover why I’ve come to believe that.

To begin, before someone starts accusing me of otherwise, I consider myself to be a conservative. To be frank, I think it would be hard for any Christian to reconcile voting liberal given their current platform exalts wickedness at every available turn. I think these ideas could help people on both sides of the line, but my writing will be mainly directed at conservatives. That is simply because it’s the group I am in, I am most familiar with, and anything I would write directed at liberals would likely address much more openly endorsed issues. However, just because I agree with conservatives on a lot, does not mean there are not some major issues within the ranks of conservatives, specifically for today’s case, idolatry.

I’ve had a healthy interest in politics for as long as I can remember understanding the concept. (At certain times an unhealthy interest) Blame this on growing up listening to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, or the fact that in one way or another politics impacts all of our lives so I couldn’t help but be involved. I have distinct memories as young as 8 staying up watching the news and listening to election results. Hearing people talk about what this or that result meant for our country’s present situation and future. Whether it be genuine interest, or forced compulsion, for whatever reason I am not new to the world of politics.

Despite that, I have been noticing what seems to be this growing root of idolatry as I get older. I cannot tell if I’m noticing it simply because I am getting older, or if this problem is increasing as I get older, but either way it exists, and in my opinion is a massive issue for those who would claim the name of Christ. I think a large part of Christian conservatives, and frankly all Christ-less conservatives have fallen into this trap. They have begun to view the political system, and in many cases Donald Trump as the answer to all of our countries problems. Somewhere along the line we all allowed ourselves to be fooled into believing that the government if it was just ran by “the right guy” would provide us with that help, guidance, or blessing that Piper spoke of. We get trapped in a cycle of voting for the lesser of two evils, forgetting that less evil is still evil.

I have become increasingly convinced of this as I have watched multiple times the assumed candidate for the Republican Party Donald Trump allow himself to be compared to Jesus Christ. I think it should go without saying that it is despicable that anyone would do that, and that he would allow it. Yet here we are. If that wasn’t sad enough, Christians will repost such statements in support of him, which is blatant idolatry. Allowing someone else to receive the veneration and praise only due to Christ is about as bad as it gets. This is all before even bringing up any of the words and actions of the former president. The worship due to God should not be given to even the greatest of men, let alone one as morally bankrupt as Mr. Trump.

Now, for those of you with what we’ll call a one track mind, just because I believe Trump is morally despicable, that doesn’t mean it is an endorsement of the other side. In fact I think the other side is also devoid of morality. My whole point in all of this is that politics is not the answer, it’s not the hope for our broken world. You may be wondering why I chose to specifically mention Trump and his supporters, and that is because he is the only candidate currently being compared to Jesus Christ, and allowing it. The fact that he is allowing it further demonstrates his lack of discernment and moral compass.

Combine things like this with the infamous “God made Trump” ad and his most recent highlight of shilling country music and political document filled bibles and you may begin to see where my frustration lies. If there was ever a more clear depiction of modern idolatry I don’t know what it could be.

I can already hear the but’s coming…

“He’s better than Biden!”

“Oh so I just shouldn’t vote?!?”

“It’s the best option we’ve got.”

Voting for the lesser of two evils has never got us anything other than evil. I am not arguing that our president has to be morally perfect, and I understand all humans have their issues. This truth however, shouldn’t push us to settle for the lowest common denominator. Don’t use sin nature as an excuse to settle for bums in leadership.

Luckily, as Christians we have the great hope that whoever is in the white house we know that God is ultimately in control. Which gets me to the whole point. Don’t hope in a man, hope in God.

It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭118‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭

A conversation on twitter sparked me to finish writing this (it’s been in drafts for a couple months). I think Clay Maynard (@maynard_clay) put it well:

Good that doesn’t always win is still good. Lesser evil that does win is still evil. I serve a Savior who won by “losing.” I serve in a tradition where we have been as sheep for slaughter for centuries. The kingdom I serve is not of this world. My King is coming… The heart of the king is in the hand of my Lord. Nebuchadnezzar may be a servant of God. I pray for our presidents to make wise choices, but I’m not addicted to political victories. I can lose. The future is victorious for those who know the end.

At the end of the day I’m not trying to tell you who to vote for. I don’t want to tell you what to believe politically. Those decisions are between you and God and I can’t stand in judgement of that. I can however condemn the idolatry of a man and a political system that is taking the worship and hope that should be placed on my God. Dear brother or sister, your hope isn’t in politics, the changes this country needs aren’t in a party or president. Our hope is in Christ! Don’t look to men to lead and guide you through this life, Trust in God!

As usual, please leave a comment if you think I’m in error. If I offended you then turn off the news for a little, don’t get mad at me if you yelped, I just threw the rock ;)

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More and more it seems like everyone and everything around me is entirely focused on self. How to better myself, how to make more money for myself, how to follow my dreams so that I can be happy. It’s all about me, what I want, and how I feel. Culturally it seems like we’re being fed the lie that the world does indeed revolve around us. Social media is designed to make us feel like the center of everyone else’s attention, and God forbid someone imply otherwise. This type of living from infidels shouldn’t shock us, but it should concern us as we see the poison of self exhalation creeping into the church.

I think one of the greatest evidences of this pernicious idea infiltrating our churches is the feeling that God is always on our side. A popular Christian song comes to mind when I think about this. Not that I have anything against the song in particular, but I think it can serve as a good example of what I am talking about here. In “Whom Shall I Fear” by Chris Tomlin he says,

Whom shall I fear?

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

And nothing formed against me shall stand

It certainly is an encouragement to know that the omnipotent God of all the universe loves and watches over us. However, I think songs and sermons like this can inadvertently give us the idea that God is always on OUR side. This idea plays on our emotions and the truth that God is our protector and defender. I think it falls short though, simply because God is on the side of righteousness, and unless you or I am perfect then God is not always on “our side”. Not to say God is at fault in any way by not being on our side, we are the ones at fault by not being on His side. Now that we’ve got the framework, let’s dive a little deeper.

There are countless passages that could help us understand what we are thinking about today, but a recent one on my mind and the one we will be looking at today is the early chapters of Judges. If you have the time I would recommend reading through Judges 1 & 2 right now, I will include some verses, but not all to save you from scrolling through copious block quotes.

The book of Judges begins with the death of Joshua. In the wake of that the people of Israel are seen looking for their next leader and God calls Judah to fight for them.

Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

‭‭Judges‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭

In the proceeding verses we see Judah obey the Lord and have great victory. Judah defeated a king who had already defeated 70 other kings! We even see that the Lord was on his side!

And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain;

‭‭Judges‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬ a

Great! The Lord was with Judah! Now how can I have the same blessings on my life? The key to God being for Judah in battle is actually found at the beginning of the story. God was not on Judah’s side because he was an Israelite. He was on his side because Judah chose to be on God’s side. God said that Judah will go up. In the proceeding scripture Judah does just that, he listens and is blessed. What we can sometimes forget is that there was another path. Judah could have disobeyed, and I think I have the scriptural backing to say he would have most definitely not have been blessed. Let’s look at a few examples to that point.

Further on in the first two chapters there are stories of the other tribes of Israel disobeying the Lord and allowing the pagans to continue to live among them. To condense a large chunk of Israel’s history into one phrase, that decision did not work out very well for them. If we fast forward past all of the specifics God is very clear about what will happen, and why it will happen.

And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

‭‭Judges‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭4‬

Remember, this is God talking to his chosen people. They didn’t receive blessing like Judah did because they didn’t choose to obey God. Judah and these other tribes were all God’s chosen people, but their choices were the difference between God being for them or God being against them. Evidenced further in chapter 2.

And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

‭‭Judges‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭

What an incredible couple of verses here. The hand of the lord was AGAINST his own people! We forget that God is not a respecter of persons, he does not stand for sin in the camp (see Achan). You might be a believer, but if you are not on God’s side I promise you He will not be on yours. I think because we are so self-centered we can treat God like a super power instead of God. We think he works for us, and is fighting for us just because we are Christians. This is not the case. If you want God to be with you, then be with God.

Another great passage of scripture that displays more of this truth can be found in Exodus 32. The people of Israel, true to character, rapidly stray from what God has told them and build an idol and begin to worship a false god. God tells Moses that he is going to wipe them out and start over, so Moses pleads for the peoples lives and succeeds. However, they don’t make it away unscathed.

then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭32‬:‭26‬-‭28‬ ‭

I think these verses should serve as a stark reminder to us that God isn’t on our side, God is on God’s side. He will be for us if we choose Him instead of ourself. That’s the key to having God on your side, be on His side! God doesn’t change, he will always be on the side of right. The question is, will you?

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, And his ears are open unto their prayers: But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭

As usual, if you think I’m wrong about something or have something of value to add to the thought please feel free to comment! And if you’re mad about what I said, stop acting like Wescott and Hort and reading stuff out of Recycling Bins ;)

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Motivation has become increasingly popular in today’s society. Maybe it is due to the advent of social media, but I think it is at least in part due to our insistence on immediate satisfaction of our desires. If you did a simple google search of the word motivation you would be inundated with quotes, videos, websites, and the like all about how to be motivated to do whatever it is you want to do. We even have a relatively novel career built around the idea, the motivational speaker. 

Now, it is important to understand what kind of motivation I’m talking about. I’m writing about the idea of motivation as an emotion in and of itself. Obviously everything we do has some sort of motivation. We could say someone was motivated by greed, anger, or love. We can be motivated by any number of things. That is not what I’m thinking about here, I’m talking about motivation as its own emotion. The phrase “he is motivated” comes to mind. Possibly even saying something like “you just need to get motivated”. It sounds great, and certainly it does possess some power in our lives, but I think it’s just about the shortest duration and weakest power available to us. 

This type of motivation reminds me a lot of another fairly modern phenomenon, that of the energy drink. They are very similar to each other in that they are a poor substitute and source of power compared to what should be the real source. It’s common sense that 8 hours of sleep and a well balanced meal will give you much more energy, and much longer lasting energy than a sugar and caffeine filled sports drink. The former is substantial and takes time, the latter is instant and thoughtless. Motivation also bears a resemblance to an energy drink not only in the minimal effort required to use it, but the short duration of it’s effect. Anyone who has drank a significant amount of energy drinks is most likely very familiar with the “crash”. I distinctly remember a time as a young teenager getting a 5-hour energy shot, almost like clockwork after an incredibly energy filled 5 hours, I had passed out on a couch, completely drained. 

Motivation for motivation's sake works much in the same way. How many times has someone decided to get in shape in a moment of motivation, just to “crash” a week later and be back filling up on sugar and fat. how many people have decided that “this year is my year” and by February it’s very clearly not their year. It could be argued that these people simply were not motivated enough. However, I would argue that these people simply didn’t have the right power source for said motivation. Watching a 15 minute compilation of motivational speeches and quotes might be enough to get you into the gym, but it certainly won’t be enough to keep you there week after week. The drive and power you feel from such a hollow source runs out almost as quickly as your favorite energy drink. 

One thing I did think about was the idea that if watching a motivational video got you into the gym, why not just watch one every day? This brings up another great comparison with caffeinated drinks. At one point in my life I was working two jobs, most days working at least 16 hours if not more. During that time I drank a ton of caffeine from anywhere I could get it. I began to realize that the one redbull a day quickly became two, then it become more potent drinks, until by the end of that stint I was consuming around 1000 mg of caffeine daily. It had gotten to the point that I had to have one or two sports drinks even on my days off just to compensate for my dependence on it. Motivation as a driving factor works in a very similar way. Those quotes, that video, whatever motivational speaker you like can provide you with a quick burst of energy, but the subsequent times it will diminish, until motivation isn’t enough to motivate you. 

Speaking from a Christian perspective, motivation shares a lot in common with lust. Not just in the sensual sense, but lust in the idea of following your desires and emotions. Motivation as an emotion simply follows your desires, and it changes as quickly as those emotions do. You will feel extremely motivated to get in shape when you see your chubby reflection in the mirror, but how quickly does that feeling fade when you’re in the Italian restaurant with no mirror to look in? (James 1:24) You’ve decided that reading great literary works and famous authors will improve your quality of life and intellect but before you know it Thursday night football is on and your drive to read is quickly outweighed by Tom Brady or Lamar Jackson lighting up some b-grade NFL team. I am being somewhat facetious, but I hope you understand my point, just like our desires and lusts, motivation can be thrown around by whatever happens to be on our mind at the moment, it is not a lasting source of drive or power. 

As it turns out, motivation is just a cheap imitation of discipline. It’s the instant gratification of discipline. It feeds into your current thoughts and emotions with little regard to the future or to what is actually right or necessary. Discipline is a driving force that for all intensive purposes ignores emotions. It’s the power that allows you to persist even when you don’t feel like doing what is needed. You don’t want to diet and workout every day, but discipline demands you do it despite your feelings. You would rather watch the game than study or read a book you find less entertaining, but discipline demands you follow out your decision. Discipline is a choice of the mind and an exercise of the will. Motivation is a burst of emotion and lends to a lack of self control. 

The reason motivation is so appealing to us is because of its ease of access. It’s appealing because we desire instant results. Discipline is a slow and painful process, it involves persisting through opposition and failure. Motivation comes and goes at will, in the moment you feel invincible, and in defeat it is easy to explain away. Unlike motivation, discipline gnaws at you when you resist it. If you’ve decided to better yourself and you’ve chosen to be disciplined instead of relying solely on motivation, every day you fail to accomplish your goal, discipline will pull you back towards it. Motivation will let you “crash” until the next burst of emotion hits you. The lie of motivation is the same lie as get rich quick schemes. Success isn’t found in a moment of passion, it is found in the moments devoid of desire. When you persevere in spite of how motivated you feel. Discipline will power you farther than motivation ever could. 

As with all things there are a million what if’s to this idea. In some ways motivation can be used in conjunction with discipline. Discipline can be used as the driving force for your motivation. And I’m sure there are people that have accomplished things while being powered by motivation. And I’m also sure that there’s plenty I’m wrong about. This is just something I’ve been thinking about lately, and after all, you’re the one reading something out of a recycling bin. 

If you think I’m wrong, or have something valuable to add, comment down below!

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