Becoming

We are all becoming something. You see, we are created beings and all created beings were created for a purpose. This concept seems so elementary, but I think it is too easily forgotten or lost in our daily thoughts and routines. We don’t give much thought to the “bigger picture” much of the time. We simply get up, go here and go there moving this to that and after doing it for a while, we go home and prepare to do it again. Our lives get sucked into this meaningless motion that really will not matter in 200 years. So we MUST remember that we have a purpose… a significant purpose. It goes far beyond the daily grind at work or making our boss happy. It is much greater than achieving popularity and influence or even being financially successful by worldly standards. Our purpose is even more important than being a really great person! So hear it is… drum roll please. Our purpose, just like everything else in the created order, is to know our Creator and enjoy Him forever.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3

This was a joy Adam and Eve got to experience first hand in the Garden. Before sin entered the realm of humanity, knowing and enjoying God’s presence was all that mattered. When I think of worship at it’s purest form from a human perspective… this is it. Being one with our Creator and enjoying Him and worshipping Him in His fullness. However, something changed in the Garden. The perfection was quickly corrupted and the oneness was abruptly divided. Sin entered the picture and intruded into a space that was only meant for God and His creation and worship is the main casualty. No longer is our worship designated only for God, but now it is up for the highest bidder… the flesh or the Spirit. The sin that divided in the Garden still works to drive us further and further from God. Our flesh craves the temporary while our Spirit rests in the eternal. Our flesh screams “me” while the Spirit screams “Jesus”. Paul warns us of this battle in Galatians 5:17 when he says, “… the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh…” This battle for our worship is the setting for our every day lives. We are stepping out into a fierce battle and the scary part is that we don’t even know it.

In the book Created for Worship, Noel Due writes of this conflict. He speaks of the influence that objects and idols have over us. He states, “In other words, men and women are shaped morally by the objects they worship.” (pg. 23) The truth is that we are all becoming something and our worship is telling us what. The things that fill our thoughts and control our desires are shaping us. The passions and pursuits that lie in the deepest corners of our hearts are molding us into something. The objects that arouse our affections and emotions are changing us more and more into their image. We are becoming what we are worshipping! For those of us who are worshipping Jesus and enjoying God’s presence and goodness, this is the greatest joy. For those of us whose greatest desire is to please the Father and glorify His name, this news is the very definition of amazing grace! We are being shaped and molded into the very character of Christ. Philippians 1:6 promises, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” However, for those of us who find ourselves pursuing idols and temporary pleasures … this news is horrific. Psalm 115:4-7 speaks of the idols formed and fashioned by human hands. “They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk…” It speaks of the worthlessness of these objects and the illusion of life that they portray. The passage goes on to say in verse 8 that “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” In other words as Due puts it, “the idols that have been formed by human hands then form human beings into their likeness.” (pg. 23) Let that sink in for a moment.

So my question today is what are you becoming? Are you becoming more like Jesus desires His Father’s will above His own? Are you being shaped more and more into the Father’s image where peace, love, mercy, and grace abound? Are you walking by the Spirit where every opportunity is an opportunity to make much of Jesus? Are you becoming the worshipper that once existed in the Garden whose greatest satisfaction was found in the presence of God? Or, are you becoming more like something else? Something temporary. Something with no purpose. Something that has the appearance of life, but really only leads to death. Something that promises to satisfy, but only leaves you empty. Are you being formed by the idols in your life like television, music, iPhone, iPad, Facebook, opinion of others, sports, vanity, self image, etc. We are all becoming something and the answer is right in front us. Just look at your worship and you will know what you are becoming.