+DEV+ We Are What We Worship

Date: October 31, 2011 11:57 PM
Topic: +DEV+ We Are What We Worship

We Are What We Worship

"Those who make [idols] will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." (PSALM 115:8)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 115

The psalmist in our reading today makes what is, in effect, the spiritual equivalent of our common saying: "You are what you eat." By claiming that those who worship idols will take on idol-like characteristics, he is saying: "You become what you worship."

This truth carries with it a profound warning as well as a quickening hope. It warns us by revealing the life-shaping consequences of valuing, trusting, serving, pursuing, desiring, and devoting ourselves to the "idols" of our age. Those who worship power will become tyrants. Those who desire control will be controlled by that desire. Those who rely on their own strength will be proven weak.

Yet this principle also contains great hope. Those who have been rescued by the living God from serving idols will become like Him! As we, through God's empowering and transforming grace, grow to value, trust, and serve our Lord, we will begin to take on His characteristics. As we worship His holiness, we will be holy. As we esteem His wisdom, we will be wise. As we trust His strength, we will be strong.

Insight: In What Ways Do You See Your Life Shaped By What You Value Most?