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Post details: ANYTHING but the Lord ...
05/31/09
ANYTHING but the Lord ...
I was recently asked this question: Are Fairies part of the occult, sorcery or witchcraft? What about Celtic Crosses, Celtic jewelry & other Celtic symbols? Are these things ok to have?
Here is what I wrote in reply:
It isn't beneficial to cling to worthless idols.
Jeremiah 2:5
This is what the LORD says: "What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.What the Bible calls an "idol" is anything (and I mean ANYTHING) that we run to for comfort in times of trouble and calamity BESIDES the Lord. We just aren't suited to cling to things that cannot help us. Anything other then the Lord are worthless at helping us in those times. We should always take the opportunity of trouble to cast our cares upon the Lord and run to Him for rescue, and to drop anything we were holding onto that isn't the things of God.
So, we don't need to be experts on what is or what is not sorcery, occult and witchcraft to get the idea that something is not of God. It isn't hard to figure out what is God and what is not, for there is none like Him. What is hard is to radically apply the principle of idolatry to our lives.
You see, the idols that I run to in times of trouble have not been fairies or jewelry or pretty designs. The idols that I have clung to in the past are intimidation, anger, bullying, charm, deception, lying, piety, pride, elitism, complaining, grumbling, unbelief, distrust, exclusiveness, insincerity, lust, and so-on. Some people go to recreational drugs, or other people to deep into self-righteousness and image building as a way to "keep up appearance" in times of trouble. Did you know that there are many people whose idols are higher education, and seminary training? Those things are inherently bad, but when you run to those things INSTEAD of God in times of trouble then you are on shaky ground ... even if you run to the Bible, or church.
There is a funny story in the Gospels of Jesus going on an mountain with a few close disciples. And on the mountain the disciples witnessed a marvelous event, where Jesus was found talking with Moses and Elijah. (Matthew 17 and Mark 9 and Luke 9.) Peter was there, and he was very impressed. The reason is because the Bible of their time was the Old Testament, and it had two parts: The Law (which was written by Moses) and the Prophets (which was written by God's prophets like Elijah.) So, seeing Jesus with those two, seemed like a fantastic sight to Peter, and he blurted out:
Luke 9:33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)Peter wanted three tabernacles. One for Moses. One for Elijah. One for Jesus. Do you think that was a good idea? Do you think that Moses and Elijah were worthy to be treated as idols? Or is the Lord the only one worthy? Well, God did not make us wait long for the answer to these questions ...
Luke 9:35-36 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone.Now, that settles it. Jesus is alone at the mountain ... and He should also be alone in the mountain of our heart. If Moses and Elijah were not worthy to be there, then what about all those things that we run to in times of trouble and calamity? If those two don't stand up next to Him, we should not put anything else on equal standing with the Lord ... not "fairies" and not "Celtic symbols" ... but more so those other things ... gossip, slander, anger, charm, flakiness, piety, hypocrisy, and even Christian devotion. We aren't meant to serve two masters. We each need to come to the place where we quit building tabernacles and shelters on our mountain except for the Lord. And we run only to Him.
Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and [fill in the blank]
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07/10/06 @ 17:27 Hello.
You asked: """how can that be seen as clinging to a worthless idol. """
What I may not have made clear enough is that is is "clinging to an worthless idol" whenever one turns to that thing for comfort during trouble.
If you don't turn to it for relief during trouble then how can it be your idol?
It cannot.
"""sure we can get sidetracked but God uses the stupid or seemingly senseless thngs we do for good"""
I was not trying to imply that God can be hampered by anything we do or do not do. God's will is accomplished regardless of whether you and me are given completely over to idolatry. Nevertheless, one is always better-off as they are given the grace to avoid any such road that only exasperates the problem. (not better; just "better-off")
(... or did you mean to imply that someone isn't better-off if they cling no more to something that is worthless and cannot help them when they are in calamity. )
Thanks for stopping by again.
Ripening,
Trent
07/10/06 @ 22:21 http://www.d.umn.edu/~gbabiuk/images/WallStBull.jpg
http://www.howstuffworks.com/gif/stock-bull.jpg
07/12/06 @ 15:41 1 Hear ye the word which Jehovah speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
2 thus saith Jehovah, Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the nations are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are vanity; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe.
4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
5 They are like a palm-tree, of turned work, and speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.
6 There is none like unto thee, O Jehovah; thou art great, and thy name is great in might
07/12/06 @ 15:44 Your pictures are of a wall-street bull. Wall Street has many mascots that are animals. Pigs are used to describe those that get slaughtered by Wall Street for being too greedy. Hogs are given the same metaphor.
The most well known metaphoric mascots are the "bulls" and the "bears." Bulls are animals that strike upward with their horns ... and the upward striking motion is compared to those investors on wall street that make profits when they drive the market up in value, hence striking upward like a bull.
Bears stand up and lift their paws to strike downward with their massive claws. This downward striking is the comparisons with those on Wall Street who profit by driving the market value downward like a bear striking down.
The reason that Wall Street uses the metaphors of barnyard animals, is due to the fact that "Wall Street" was the named that way because of a "Wall" that was constructed to contain a yard of pens full of tradeable farm animals. Before there was a stock-market, there was a "stock yard" where people bought and sold these animals ... like pigs and bulls ... and whoknows? maybe even a bear or two.
Today bears are stock traders that profit off sell-offs on commodities and stocks. Bulls are stock-traders that profit off rallies in equity prices. But, those that play the action on Wall Street know that this is a nod to the purpose of wall street before capitalism created the stock market ...
I am a bear when i play the market, and I profit when the price falls on the stocks that I follow. Every once in a while I play the roll of a bull, when the risk is too high to stay bear-ish.
This is a far cry from creating a "god" and falling down and worshipping it. So, the fact that somebody made a statue out of the symbol of a bull, has very little biblical significance, when the bull is the "wall street" bull ... a barnyard animal that strikes upward with its horns.
Ripening for the harvest,
Trent
07/16/06 @ 16:40 "Knowone can serve 2 masters for will love the one and despise the other".
07/17/06 @ 16:28 [[[Like Jack Nicholson once said "You want the truth,,You can't handle the truth".]]]
I could not have said it better.
:-)
[[["Knowone can serve 2 masters for will love the one and despise the other".]]]
Let me know if I ever say otherwise.
Ripening still,
Trent
07/17/06 @ 16:56 I find it interesting that Wall Street calls a good market a bull market. Again the bull shows power and new money. It is also interesting to note that Wall Street was started in the month of May and has a sun sign in Taurus. The sign of the bull.
INTERESTING SYMBOLOGY HERE!
http://www.garnertedarmstrong.ws/UnitedEuropeStories/unitedeuropestory04-29.shtml
Europa Rides the Beast Study No. 198
All over the ancient Middle East we find reference to the bull which is used as a symbol of strength and fertility, as well as to bull gods. El, the supreme deity of the decadent Canaanite pantheon, was often called “the Bull El” (he was a fertility god). Baal, the god of fertility, storms, rain, and vegetation, is also called the Bull. Similarly among the Hittites, Aramaeans, and Babylonians, the bull gods were a dominant feature of their religions, not to mention the many bull and calf-cults linked closely to the Egyptian god Horus. Cattle cults among the Cushite peoples of Ethiopia and India may be found to this day! In Mithraism, bull worship was an important aspect of their beliefs.
07/17/06 @ 17:40 A "bull" market is only "good" for your portfolio if your positions are weighted bull-ish ... meaning that you could profit on an up-turn in the assets valuation.
A "bull" market is a terrible nightmare for wall-street "bears." Trust me, I should know ... however, as my portfolio is weighted bearish, I have done well in the recent sell-off.
What is "good" for a bull, is always "bad" for a bear. Though a novice would not tend to understand that one can just as easily profit when the market tanks as when it rallies.
Approximately half of all professional investors hate bull markets, and half love bull markets. It has to do with the delicate balance of optimism and pessimism and the consensus therein of the market in-general. The swings from euphoria to dread and back again define the market "action." And whether the market action is upward or downward, half of the players are making profit and the other half is loosing.
Typically, armature investors know nothing other then optimism, and position all their investments to profit only on upturns in the market. The prevalence of this naivety is evident in such comments as "Wall Street calls a good market a bull market." The reality is a far cry from this statement. A bull-market is good for exactly half of the people involved, and same goes for the bear-market.
Ripening still,
Trent
07/17/06 @ 18:02 So, if I do half bulls and half bears, will I be okay?
My husband made me take a class so I'd be more confident in what he wants to do but that made it worse...a gambler I'm not.
Pam
07/17/06 @ 22:55 Love "bears" all things though :oX
I like the the reminder you gave earlier somewhere on here--"Love covers a mulititude of sins".... that is so true!
It's that Love that really gets me through, when nothing else can...
blessings!
Lisa
Trent--thanks for teaching me through your humble spirit--it's refreshing to me--something I need to allow to reign in my life more so than I have.... blessings, my brother.
Lisa
07/17/06 @ 23:32 My father-in-law did very well in the stock market and I know his secret. Money meant nothing to him in the material sense. He always said that money was just a way to keep score!
I think you would have enjoyed taking money from each other, keeping score!
Pam
It is sooooo hot here. We are the hottest spot in the state. By the time it coos off enough to sleep, it's time to get up!
07/18/06 @ 00:51 That is exactly it.
I am working on this theory that
"passion towards currency is the source of financial ruin and costly trouble." ... then I realized that what I was saying was "the love for money is the root of evil." Emotional indiffernce towards money is the holy-grail of investing. Only as one stays detached from money can they view it with the complete attention of their rational mind ... and make excellent decisions.
It really is the secret, and the alternative is to financially wash out in the extremes of fear and greed.
Dang this heat, eh?
It felt like 110 here yesterday. Same story for today. Heather and I giggled when the weather-man pointed to the display of the radar map ... and talked about it for 30 seconds, and I kid-you-not ... there was not a single cloud on the map!
-Trent
07/18/06 @ 08:47
07/18/06 @ 12:42 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/american-idolatry-the-good-life
08/01/06 @ 13:32 It was good to re-read this today after one of those days at church when it can seem that the entire Christian world is parched and trying to satiate that horrible thirst with everything but the Living Water. Sometimes, in the midst of another sermon on the evils of the world with the added admonishments to remain elite, I want to stand up and scream, "Jesus!" "Do you remember why we are here?" Is it possible that in an auditorium of four or five hundread, there are not two gathered in the Name of Jesus? Sadly, it is not only witches and pagans that grab for anything but Jesus, it is most of the modern Christian world, as well. We are not morally elite but oh how we cling to that moral elitism and how we thirst. I do it too, I grab for all the wrong things and neglect the important thing, clinging to Him. He isn't just 'enough', He is the only place where our spiritual thirst and hunger can be satisfied and how I long to make that message heard.
Pam
07/22/07 @ 18:00 Leave a comment:
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