All-Consuming - January 19
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 26, 28; PM Psalm 36, 39; Isa. 44:9-20; Eph. 4:17-32; Mark 3:19b-35
Today’s Reflection
“You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” –Ephesians 4:23-24
What does it mean “to put away your former way of life” and instead “be renewed in the spirit of your minds”? According to Paul, it means this: Put away falsehood. Speak the truth to our neighbors. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Labor and work honestly. Share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouth. Build others up, so that your words may give grace. Put away all bitterness and anger. Be kind and tenderhearted. Forgive as you have been forgiven (Ephesians 4: 25-32). Through giving us these principles, God (via Paul) laid out a rule of life by which we will be set apart from the rest of the world.
Likewise, we read in Isaiah today about the utter insufficiency of idol creation and idol worship: “All who make idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit; their witnesses neither see nor know. And so they will be put to shame. Who would fashion a god or cast an image that can do no good? Look, all its devotees shall be put to shame; the artisans too are merely human” (Isaiah 44: 9-11).
Not worshipping idols (human-made objects of worship) absolutely runs counter to American consumer culture and the advertising industry that promotes it. Pretty much any object, person, or pursuit has the potential to be put in a place of reverence. It could be anything that we spend too much time thinking about, obsessing about even, to the point that it takes our time, attention, and energy away from other things—especially away from worshipping God and living in accord with God’s pattern of self-emptying love.
While organized religion and places of worship are waning in influence in many Western cultures, the cult of consumer culture continues to gain in influence and adherents. James Twitchell, in his book Lead Us into Temptation: The Triumph of American Materialism, says, “Tell me what you buy, and I will tell what you are and who you want to be.” He explores how “the purchase and possession of things” are “the self-identifying acts of modern life. Not only does the car you drive tell others who you are, it lets you know as well. The consumption of goods … provides us with tangible everyday comforts and with crucial inner security in a seemingly faithless age.” Ultimately, Twitchell believes that “we buy more than objects, we buy meaning.”
But it’s not so easy to be satisfied solely by God’s love, mercy, and grace in a world in which we are constantly tempted to be satisfied by absolutely everything else. We are tempted to obey our urges to consume and to compete. Just buy it. Just do it. Treat yourself—because you only live once! Our competitive culture tells us that sacrifice is good—but by that the culture means you should sacrifice your sleep, your health, your time with family, your time for worship—sacrifice yourself and your relationships so that you can get ahead, climb the ladder, achieve that next big thing.
As Christians, though, we lead lives of paradox. We are to be “in the world, but not of it.” We are stuck, on the one hand, in the mud and muck of this fallen world. And yet we are also set free, like a kite or a banner, free to fly and wave in the wind, yet anchored by the security we have in Christ, so that we do not fly off into the atmosphere of our own inclinations.
We may have moments of realization that we are drowning and dying in a sea of mistakes and regrets—and then we are brought back up to the surface, brought back to life, realizing the undying hope we have in Christ. We feel unknown, and yet can take comfort that in Christ we are fully known. We realize that while, at the end of the day, we may have nothing in the eyes of this world, in terms of status or wealth or other measures of success—and yet, in Christ, we already possess everything that is truly needful.
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
In which idol (a material object or worldly pursuit) are you most often tempted to find your identity and sense of self-worth? What do you think it is about this object or pursuit that tricks you into thinking that it is the key to finding happiness and meaning in your life?
Daily Challenge
Hear more of James Twitchell’s thoughts on how people in the United States are tempted to make brands and amenities into modern-day idols.