Canceling Idolatry

As humans, we are bound by time and space. We inhabit these physical bodies for a relatively short time. Of course, that’s not all there is to it, because we are also capable of thought, emotion, reason, and will, which makes us pretty complicated beings. But wait, there’s more! We have a spirit, of course. It’s this part of us that reaches for something outside ourselves, something worthy of our devotion.

I think the desire to worship is innate. You can see this in history, from the earliest civilizations until now. People made idols of wood or stone, and created belief systems and mythologies to explain the unexplainable. Even today, in a culture that claims to be advanced, we indulge in idolatry and mythmaking. People worship everything from their 401Ks to sports teams. They rationalize infanticide at the altar of sexual freedom. They make up scenarios to explain how the world exists completely by chance. They engage in intellectual gymnastics to prove that humans evolved from apes. Still, in spite of modern efforts to secularize everything, the supernatural is never very far from our thoughts. Even the attempts to deny God’s existence prove that God matters. The fact is, we experience the same desires that motivated our distant ancestors. Mankind has always needed to find meaning, and to respond to the longing for truth.

These desires and our questions about the meaning of life are part of what makes us human, what sets us apart from monkeys, or dogs, or pine trees. Our need to find purpose, discover unshakeable truth, and experience real love is incredibly strong. Unfortunately, it seems that, with all of our technology and scientific sophistication, we haven’t made much progress finding the meaning of life on our own. Here’s the problem: as long as we continue to look to ourselves for answers, we’ll never really be satisfied. Without supernatural intervention, all we have is some pretty elaborate and meaningless theories. We need an encounter with our Creator before things really begin to make sense. Without Him, we are lost.

It follows that the One who made life would have all the answers about its meaning.

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus of Nazareth, in fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies written long before His time, represents the intersection of God with His creation in a world-wrenching way. His appearance in first-century Judea, His words, His example, and His ultimate death and resurrection, answer the cry of our hearts for meaning, direction, and the kind of love that lasts for eternity.

We aren’t really all that different from one another. We all long for meaning. We all need love. Too bad so many are looking for those things in the wrong places. What the world offers is counterfeit. Only God is really worthy of our devotion. Worship God above all, and find direction, truth, and love that never fails!

Standing with you,

Carolyn