Hook, Line and Sinker

"The high places, however, were not removed,

and the people still had not set their hearts

on the God of their ancestors."

2 Chronicles 20:33

The people of Judah had enjoyed a godly, devoted leader for 25 years.  While this man did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, the people weren't all in.  They hadn't bought into God's ways completely.  Instead of fully swallowing Him and His teachings, hook, line and sinker, they only nibbled, accepting what sounded good but discarding what was uncomfortable and retaining that which offended Him.

I am not so different.  What are some high places I have retained where idol worship often takes place (Psalm 78:58, Deuteronomy 5:8)?

Self-love.  Above all things, I want to be accepted by others.  My rights and liberties are very important to me and I will fight to defend them.  If I'm called to step outside of what I feel comfortable doing, I'll probably choose to stay where I am.  When it comes right down to it, I have placed myself and my sovereignty above God.  My love for myself has been elevated to the position of a god; it rules my life.

Since fitting in is so important to me, I end up choosing to go with the flow instead of taking a stand for God and His Word.  As a result, I have exposed my dedication to my own well-being as more important than the Truth.  Because I value my rights I defend myself whenever I feel threatened, revealing my belief that my liberties are of higher worth than God's glory.  As I work so hard to carve out the good life, I make decisions that cut God's purposes out since they might take me to places I never intended to go.  Consequently, I show how my comfort means more to me than obeying God.

My love for myself has become an idol, distracting me from wholly living for Christ.

World-love.  I take all the advice I can get, figuring that the more I can learn, the wiser I will grow.  Soon, I begin to take on the beliefs of the world, buying into its alluring messages.  Success, popularity, financial security, age prevention; they all become more and more important to me as I fall further and further away from God and His Word.  I can't buy into what the world is selling and devote my heart to the Lord.  It's either one or the other (1 John 2:15-17).

When I turn my attention toward the Lord, making Jesus my sole pursuit, He will change the way I think so that my opinions and beliefs line up more with God's will (Romans 12:1-2).  Unless I dedicate my heart to Him, however, the lure of the world will always be too strong to withstand.  Once I see Jesus as a treasure to be held onto, nothing will be able to tear me away from Him.

My love for the world can become an idol, distracting me from wholly living for Christ.

Control-love.  I would never choose a position that would stretch me beyond my limits.  I am careful to avoid what I don't like, to direct the conversation to topics I'm familiar with, to protect myself and my family from harm.  I have a strong desire to control my own life.

The problem is, I'm not in control.  God is in complete control of all things.  He is sovereign over all of His own creation (Psalm 33).  This is His world, not mine!  I have only fooled myself into thinking I have some semblance of dominion over the affairs of my life.  As soon as illness strikes, tragedy hits or the unforeseen comes my way, I realize how little control I really have.

Thankfully, God is a loving God who has my best interest at heart.  I can trust Him to sit at the helm of my life, directing my ways and guiding me to the path of life.  Only He knows the best plan for me so I would be wise to seek Him out wholeheartedly (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

My love for control can become an idol, distracting me from wholly living for Christ.

There are many high places erected in my life, providing opportunities for me to worship something other than God.  My love for self, the world, and control can steal my heart away from the Lord.  If I am to accept God's best for me, I must swallow His truth hook, line and sinker.  Until then, I will not fully be living!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can completely accept God's plan for my life.

How do I hold back, reserving some parts I'm not ready to surrender to Jesus?

When do I fail to trust God completely?