Creatures' Creator vs. Creatures' Creations

Jeremiah 10-11; Psalm 78:56-72; Proverbs 24:28-29

 

We love our stuff. We love the things we come up, the things we build with our hands. We work hard to earn money, then run around to spend what we’ve earned with our hard work, with our intense focus and with the efforts of our minds and hands on the latest gadgets, on the latest comforts, on the best of foods, on cars and homes. We love the things we make.

 

In America, we don’t call those things “gods”.

 

But we are so devoted to them that we act like they are gods. The latest medication promises to give us the sleep we need—or to keep us awake as long as we want. The latest iPhone apps promise to give us access to our bank accounts, our music, the internet and videos. Our GPS units promise to get us from A to B, and our cars promise to get us there quickly. Our shoes promise to help us run faster and jump higher, our clothes promise us the admiration of everyone, and our toothpaste promises a smile so bright that it shines. And for the blessings of all these things we ourselves have made, we run ourselves into the ground—often forgetting God our Creator in the process. How can we tell that we’re making gods out of these things? We love our creations so much and want them so badly that we will often go into debt to receive the blessings of the least-needed gadgets, all the while neglecting to serve God and give Him even a tiny percentage of the income He’s blessed us with.

 

When we pit our Creator against our creations, we demonstrate over and over again that we value and serve our creations more than Jesus Christ. But our creations will pass away. Jesus never will.

 

Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; there is no breath in them. They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish. He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance—the LORD Almighty is his name. – Jeremiah 10:14-16

 

Our idols aren’t as blatant as what the Israelites were making. We don’t specifically craft images that we intend to bow to, to pray to, to worship as gods. But we end up serving them just as devotedly, working our lives away to gain the benefits they promise. We’re never satisfied with what our God provides, and so we enslaves ourselves in exchange for the benefits our creations will give us.

 

Father, forgive us. Teach us to be satisfied in You and in Your Son Jesus Christ, and to stop enslaving ourselves to our creations. You are our Creator, and You deserve all our service, our time, our devotion, our trust. You are faithful and good.