IS THIS THING I'M HOLDING ONTO A LIE?

From Rich Thornton's blog MORE THAN TODAY

Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?

Once there was a wood-carver who measured a block of wood and drew a pattern on it. He worked with chisel and plane and carved it into a human figure. He gave it human beauty and put it in a little shrine.

He cut down cedars; he selected the cypress and the oak; he planted the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he used part of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake his bread.

Then -- yes, it's true -- he took the rest of it and made himself a god to worship! He made an idol and bowed down in front of it!

He burned part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. He said, "Ah, that fire feels good."

Then he took what was left and made his god: a carved idol! He fell down in front of it, worshiped and prayed to it. "Rescue me!" he said. "You are my god!"

Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.

The person who made the idol never stopped to reflect, "Why, it's just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?"

The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can't help him at all.

Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, "Is this thing, this idol that I'm holding in my hand, a lie?" (Isaiah 44:13-20)

What thing, what idol, am I holding in my hand that is a lie? What is it that we treat as more important than God? What is really first to us? What is on our minds, in our activities, in our desires more than anything else? What would we give up everything else for? Would we do anything to have more money? Is a satisfying relationship with a human being more important to us than a satisfying relationship with God? Is recognition, power, fame, or even just a little more respect what drives us everyday? Money, sex, relationships, family, power, respect--are these the idols that we hold in our hand?

If I want to hold hands with God then I must put down my idol. If I want to use my hands to serve God by serving people I must put down my idol. I must realize that my needs, my desires, will frustrate me all of my life if I don't put them into God's hands. Only God can lead me where I need to go. The thing, the idol, that I hold in my hand is indeed a lie. To find truth I must set aside this lie, this idol, and lift my empty hands to God and let Him pick me up and love me and lead me as only He can.