Snare

"Gideon made the gold into an ephod,

which he placed in Ophrah, his town.

All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there,

and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

Judges 8:27

The sight struck fear into the hearts of his men.  Three thousand enemy chariots, each armed with two fighting men.  A horde of soldiers too numerous to count blanketing the land before them.  Philistines armed to the teeth and bent on revenge.  

Saul could see the writing on the wall; his men were preparing to desert.  The time to attack was now.  Despite the fact that Samuel said he would be there within 7 days to make the obligatory sacrifice to God, he had not lived up to his word.  Saul would not go forth on such a mission without the favor of the Lord; it would be mass suicide.  He had no choice.  He must offer up the burnt offering himself (1 Samuel 13).

While Saul may have had good intentions, his actions amounted to disobedience in the eyes of a holy God.  Likewise, it probably seemed just as much of a good idea when Gideon, years before Saul, melted down some of the gold earrings his men had gathered as plunder.  The men, fresh from their victory on the battlefield, adoringly asked their commander to lead them as a nation.  Gideon rightly responded, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you.  The LORD will rule over you" (Judges 8:23).

Unfortunately, in his attempt to honor God by forming a golden ephod out of the jewelry, Gideon ended up dishonoring Him in his unintentional defiance.  What he had meant for good became a snare, tempting the people to turn their reverence and adoration to a mere object instead of to the Lord.

How often do I do the same?  While my intentions may be good, the result is my heart is turned away from God.

Good Works

Serving in church.

Responding in love.

Doing good.

Resisting temptation.

Forgiving those who hurt me.

The list of things I must do as a follower of Christ is long.  I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well.  The guilt from all the times I fall short weighs me down.  How much longer can I live this way?  

When Jesus came to earth to bear my sins upon Himself, it was for freedom's sake.  He made such a sacrifice so I could enjoy eternal life with Him, yes.  But His mission was so much greater.  He came to set me free from the heavy burden of trying to do right (Matthew 11:28-30). He came to offer abundant life.(John 10:10)  He came to save me from the futility of following the law.  (Romans 6:14)

Why, then, do I try so hard to do what I think a "good Christian" should do?  Why do I feel so heavily burdened by my failures?  If God no longer condemns me because of the precious blood of Jesus that covers my transgressions, why am I so quick to convict myself? (Romans 8:1)  Why am I always on edge, as if waiting for God to say, "You know what?  I said you were my child, but you just can't seem to get it right.  Forget it!"

It's because I don't understand the love of God. (1 John 4:18) God is love.  It is in His character to love me.  Unfortunately for me, it is also in His character to abhor sin. (Psalm 7:11, Isaiah 59:2) Thankfully, He sent His precious Son to make a way for me, a helpless sinner, to live in relationship with Him now and forevermore. (1 John 3:1, Romans 3:24)  

This unspeakable gift of redemption and restoration comes free for the taking, offered by grace.  It is not something I can earn. (Ephesians 2:8-9) In fact, I can never be good enough for God, which is why I need Jesus in the first place. (Romans 3:23) Why, then, am I so quick to slip into the habit of trying to earn favor with God?  Jesus already did all that was required.  My job is to submit to His lordship and follow Him wholeheartedly.  (Romans 8:3-4, Galatians 5:18)

My efforts to earn my own salvation, or even the favor of God, can become a snare that takes me away from the grace through which I find true freedom.

Good Habits

Psychologists say it takes three weeks to form a habit.  Theoretically, then, if I want to add exercise into my daily routine, I will simply need to stick with it for 21 days before it becomes second nature.  Or, if the doctor tells me to cut salt out of my diet, I'll only need to make an effort to stay away from the salt shaker for three weeks before I get used to eating that way.  Or, if I want to break my children of the habit of watching television after school, I'll need to hound them to go outside and play for nearly a month before it will become a normal part of their routine.  

What if I take this same principle and apply it to my relationship with God?  Since I know He wants me to read His Word, I can force myself to do it for three weeks until it becomes a healthy habit.  Or I try to make it my new custom to speak kindly to those around me, even if they're mean to me.  All I need to do is respond lovingly for 21 days and then it will be ingrained within me!  Or, I find I'm weak in the prayer department so I make it my intention to keep up a regular time of talking to the Lord for 3 weeks and then I've set a good pattern that will stick with me.

While it is not bad to take this approach, there is a danger that comes with "faking it till I make it."  I am at risk of becoming just like the Israelites whom God chastised through the prophet Isaiah when he said, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught."  (Isaiah 29:13)

I wouldn't like it if my husband only talked to me at the same time every day because he wanted to make it a habit.  I want to hear what's on my dearly beloved's heart.  If my husband only talked to me out of obligation instead of treasuring the time we have together, I would be hurt.  I want more than his actions; I want his heart.

It's the same with me and God.  He wants me to share my hurts, struggles and dreams with Him.  He loves it when I turn to Him at the lowest time of my day as well as when I'm on mountaintop.  He wants to share my life with me.  When I make spiritual disciplines simply that; disciplines, it falls short of God's desire for a relationship I can share with Him.

Therefore, let my study of His Word not become a daily ritual, but a meaningful time of searching for nuggets of wisdom He has left for me there. (Psalm 119:105) Let my weekly churchgoing not become an obligation to fulfill, but a rich time of exhortation, worship and fellowship with others who love the God I love. (Hebrews 10:25-27) Let my acts of righteousness not come as a result of my own effort, but as a wonderful outcome of my cooperation with His transforming power in my life. (Philippians 2:12-13)

My quest to form good spiritual habits can become a snare that takes my heart out of the equation.

Good Intentions

"God wants you to be happy!  He doesn't intend for you to live a life of poverty.   It's not His purpose for you to struggle.  He wants you to live a good life.  He wants you to reach for the stars, fulfilling the dreams you have in your heart."

Doesn't that just make you feel good?  This is the message I have heard from some followers of Christ.  While I don't think their intention was to steer me wrong, they simply took bits and pieces of advice they'd received and knowledge that came from their own understanding and fashioned it into a gospel that truly appeals to my sin nature: A message that is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but nonetheless is preached from the pulpit of many-a-church.

It is easy to get into the habit of encouraging others with what sounds good to me instead of sticking to the truth.  After all, the truth can sound harsh to my sinful nature.  If I truly want to point my sisters and brothers to Christ, I must stick to His Word.  Telling people what they want to hear will only lead them astray.  (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

While it may feel good to support my friend when she tells me she's leaving her husband in order to follow her heart, God's love instead burdens me to take the side of marital fidelity.  Other times I may have every good intention when I give another the advice to "let sleeping dogs lie," the God who rejoices in the truth would rather I recommend she bring all the details out into the open.  Even though it sounded good when I encouraged my husband to do what seemed best to him, a godly wife would help him to seek God's counsel.

My good intentions can turn into a snare that works to turn people away from God.

Just like Gideon's attempt to honor God in his own way ended up backfiring, my good works, habits and intentions can all work to create a snare in my spiritual life.  As a sinner whose natural tendency is to follow my own desires, it doesn't take much to drag my heart away from the Lord.  Therefore, I would be wise to avoid these traps that may seem like good ideas, but in the end can damage my relationship with the God who loves me so much.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my heart wholly devoted to the Lord.

When can even good habits become gods unto themselves?

How do I unintentionally lead others astray through the advice I give?