American Idol: the search for a superstar, created by Simon Fuller, is in its 23rd season. The reality competition is the stuff dreams are made of. We all have a chance to be overnight sensations, superstars, American Idols.
Nothing wrong with pursuing our dreams. Nothing wrong with fame, money, and recognition. But idols? When you go there, the waters get a little muddy. Depending on your POV, point of view, things can get skewed.
Exactly what are idols? Are they stone figures? Wood? Metal? Yes. And no. Because, anything we prioritize above all else qualifies as an idol. We might say the real American idol is money–good old capitalism, or cars, or clothes–tangible stuff. Success and power rank near the top too. And, significance. We all want people to notice us, look up to us, consider us important. Who doesn’t want to be “Pop-u-lar”?
“But…”
An idol is anything that gets the top spot in our life.
A religious person might say only our Creator gets the top spot, that everything else must fall in line behind Him. No idols. Period. But, someone can believe God’s Word, go to church every time the doors open, donate food, help the homeless, volunteer at the animal shelter, and argue with anyone who’ll listen that we are to treat other people like we want to be treated and still have idols.
Singer Michael Card put it well. “We’ve made You in our image, so our faith’s idolatry.” We like for people to like us. We like to get our own way, do what we want. And we don’t like it when someone tells us we’re wrong. We can be our own idol.
“But I…”
Pre-Jesus’ time on earth, death was the penalty for having an idol, for not putting God first. Adam and Eve got paradise, everything they could possibly want, and only one hard “No.” In their lush and beautiful garden there was one tree–one tree–that God said don’t eat from or you will die. It’s no surprise that when you tell us no, that’s what we reach for first. That’s what they did. They put what they wanted ahead of God and got busted and booted.
That was no surprise to God either. He knew it was coming and He told them right up front there would be consequences. But He also said, “I still love you.”
From the moment of their disobedience, death was the penalty. Something had to die. So animals died to clothe them and animals died all the way through the Old Testament to bring temporary forgiveness for not putting God first. God was teaching us how costly it is to allow anything besides Him in first place in our lives. He was teaching us that a relationship with Him is what He wants, not religion.
Trust Me, He said, with all your heart. Acknowledge Me. Do life like I tell you and I will make your way straight. Put me first, above all else, and you’ll be okay.
“But I want…”
We think we’ve got it all under control. We want our way. And when everything falls apart, when life gets messy, when we cannot fix it, we cry out “Where were You, God?”
He’s still there, always has been, waiting for us to reach for Him.
God’s a good Father. He tells it to us straight. There really is absolute Truth and it really was written in stone and it’s right there in front of us if we’ll open our eyes.
Here we are, post-Jesus’ time on earth and death is still the penalty for disobedience, for having idols. When we put anything before God, something still has to die. We have to die. But, from the genesis of the world until Jesus’ birth, God has been teaching us how to get back to paradise, how to get back to relationship with Him.
One simple thing we have to do. Give up our idols and put Him first.
It’s as simple as a, b, c. Admit we miss the mark, we’re not perfect, we are disobedient. Believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that he died in our place, and that He rose from death on the third day. Confess that He is in charge, number One spot in our lives, from this day until forever. That’s all it takes.
So simple. So difficult. We are stubborn willful creatures. We want to “make Him in our image,” make Him be conveniently what we want Him to be.
But, that’s not how it works. We have to go all in. We have to put Him first. We have to give up all we want and do life His way.
From the moment we do that, we start living life in light of eternity. We’re able to see everything in our lives, even death as we know it, as a blip on the radar on the way to Him. We can know that He’s right there beside us, in us, around us, that He goes before and behind us. And, we can trust Him with every single thing.
When we change our POV from “But I want my way” to “But I want Christ,” everything changes. We are changed. Instead of a list of all the stuff we want, we can ask for the only thing that really matters. Him.
“I want…Christ.”
When we do that, the weight comes off. We find freedom. We find calm. We find peace in the storm.
And that makes all the difference in the world.
He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Blessings!
*Popular, songwriter Stephen Lawrence Schwartz, ©Universal Music Publication Group, Kristin Chenowith 2003
**Know You in The Now/Could It Be, Michael Card 1988, Lyrics @ Birdwing Music, Mole End Music
***Proverbs 3:5-6
Are We There Yet? 
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