Monday, 1/5/09, Day 54 - Exodus 10:1-11:10, What are the "gods" of our modern society?

One way I look at this question is what are the things that make me forget how much God loves me. Instead of worshiping the one true God, "things" or "circumstances" have a tendency to take our gaze off our heavenly father and focus instead on some false god, which ultimately leads us away from joy and peace. There's another term that some of you have heard...that is, "identity in Christ". One of the greatest tragedy I believe for followers of Christ is the misunderstanding/lack of understanding what it means to be a child of God. This "illness" strikes people of all ages, no matter how many years they might have been a Christian. What's the ultimate remedy for this disease? It starts with the Cross. That's why, in God's infinite wisdom, we're encouraged to "carry the Cross" daily. Why? Because...when we cast our eyes on the Cross, our eyes are focused on the ultimate demonstration of love...so at the same time, our eyes are not looking at the other "gods" or distractions of life. When we fully grasp the love of God on the Cross, then we have a clearer understanding of who we are. We're not the failures that the world is saying we are...but we are loved dearly by the Creator of the Universe. I wish I had known this in my earlier years...but we all have a different path to walk on. I remember how my whole "identity" in life during 8th grade going into high school was to have a girlfriend. Why? Because everybody else around me was doing that...so I thought that was the norm. And because I didn't have a girlfriend, I just thought I was "abnormal"...and that there's something wrong with me. My ID (identity) was solely based on whether I had a gf or not...did God make me with so little good stuff in me that is all I am about? NO WAY! But, I didn't know God then, or had a personal relationship with Jesus...so I carried this feeling of being a "nobody" throughout my 4 years in high school...and was able to survive only because I had one other passion in my life at that time, baseball. I wonder how my life might have been had I known God at that point. Maybe you might have a friend that thinks like this now...and maybe you can help them realize that there's more to life than falling to the lies and deceptions of the world...one of the biggest lie being that you're a nobody if you don't have someone. Satan wants you to believe that...but you can have the ultimate friend ever, that is, Jesus Christ!