Sisters and Brothers,
I have often written, and at times spoken of what I call THE UNHOLY TRINITY
or THE TRINITY OF IDOLATRY that I perceive to be a part of our culture, and
which has become so normative for us that we disassociate it from being at
all unfaithful to our Lord, though Jesus, the fulfiller of Law and Prophets, did
address it regularly (as we have that witnessed to in The Gospels).
Greed - Luke 12:15-21 (among others)
What is lost with greed is any empathy for others (who are objectified as a
means to an end), honesty within ourselves or with others (certainly with God
for those who claim to be believers), and rationality (the idea of no limits within
Capitalistic profit, for example).
Lust for Power and Control - Luke 22:24-27 (among others)
What is lost with the lust for power and control is any sense of humanity (it
becomes all about objectifying others), compassion for others (now seen as being
"beneath" one) and humility (because one believes he/she is "above" others).
Obsessive desire for Prestige and Position - Matthew 23:5-12
(among others) What is lost with this obsessive desire is any sense of one's
genuine self, objectivity regarding self with others and any value or concern
for others around one (as self-preservation and promotion becomes our
imperative in life).
The COST is to one's soul, and to any hope of any genuine, authentic relationship
with God, self or others. The problem with idols is that we believe we own the
desire and can use them as a tool to get what we want. The truth is, we are
then owned by them and controlled by them to become what we were never
intended to become. We bow to these altars and serve these masters - lords of
our lives, while dissengenuously giving lip service to Jesus as Savior, and offering
Him praise and Worship with our tithes. We give our true devotion to our selves
in Greed, Lust for Power and Control, and our Obsessive Desire for Prestige and
Position. Jesus was tempted to do so, and so are we.
The cost is too high, folks. What is lost is too precious, because it is integral to
living the Agape Love commanded by Jesus our Lord.
Pastor Jamie
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