Carving or Craving

I have never given much thought to worshipping other gods. I believe in one God – the Creator God of the Bible. I’ve been in church all my life and following only one God…or so I thought. Recently, I began taking a closer look at my life and my walk with God. I realized that while I may or may not worship other gods openly – I probably have quietly gave some of them way too much leverage in my life. Check this out….

8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—


    if you would only listen to me, Israel!

9 You shall have no foreign god among you;


    you shall not worship any god other than me.

10 I am the Lord your God,


    who brought you up out of Egypt.


Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

11 “But my people would not listen to me;


    Israel would not submit to me.

12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts


    to follow their own devices.

13 “If my people would only listen to me,


    if Israel would only follow my ways,

14 how quickly I would subdue their enemies


    and turn my hand against their foes! (Psalm 81:8-14 NIV)

 

I’ve always pictured these little head carvings that people worshipped. I really think it’s stupid to worship a wood carving, but it’s just as stupid to worship a craving. After a more careful look at my life, I realize that while there are not carvings I worship – I do worship cravings. For example:

food – some people eat to live – I live to eat

money – not matter how much I have – I want more

success – sometimes hard to define, but I crave it

entertainment – I like to laugh and be entertained in all sorts of ways

family – I struggle with loving more than my family – He’s the One who blessed me with family.

I believe cravings lead me to worship other gods. I want what I want when I want it – that is the very definition of a craving. I need to surrender my wants and wishes to the Lord. These things are not bad, but only if the desire/craving drives me more than the Lord. He wants me to have joy, but not temporary joy. He wants me to have a joy that is deeply fulfilling and real.

I want to listen to His call upon my life. I want to bring all my cravings into submission before Him. I want to worship ONLY God and not my version of Him.

Pressing On!

Dwayne