The Image I Build

 

It stood there.
Just an image.

A statue.

A likeness erected by a man who desired control.

Power.

Authority.

Sovereignty.

Greatness.

Influence.

A following.

No, more than a following -

Worshippers.

But, worship didn’t come as easily,

As quickly,

As readily, 

Or as heartfelt,

As Nebuchadnezzar would have liked.

So, it became a law…

…a command.

Bow the knee…

Worship my image… 

Or, else.

You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound ...you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:4-6

Pride does that.

It seeks admiration.

Agreement.

Applause.

Submission.

Validation

Relevance.

Success. 

So, it builds an image of itself.

Look at me.

Look to me.

Listen to me.

I have it right. 

Fall in line.

Bow the knee.

Worship my image.

And, now I’m pondering.

How am I a Nebuchadnezzar?

What image am I building?

What do I want others to see?

Where am I quietly saying, 

Look at me…

Notice me.

Agree with me.

Follow me.

I have it right.

But, You, O God, are a jealous God.

You will not share your glory with another.

You love us too much to let our idols stay standing.

So, you point us back to Nebuchadnezzar.

a man who looked over everything he had built and declared,

Look what I have done!

Then, because You wanted his whole heart,

You humbled him.

Until his eyes were lifted toward heaven.

Until he finally understood:

The Most High rules.

Perhaps that is the invitation for me as well.

Stop building the image.

Stop protecting the image.

Stop asking others to admire the image.

Lift my eyes toward heaven.

Humble myself.

Bow my knee.

And remember—

There is only One King.

Only One sovereign Lord.

Only One worthy of glory.

You alone, O God, are worthy of worship.

And, that's just a thought...

When Ready Isn't Enough

It’s a reminder I needed for the week.

The Lord knew, of course.

My calendar is full.

My to-do-list long.

My upcoming weekend scheduled with important Kingdom-work.

I have prepared.

I’ve studied.

Put forth effort.

I have all the needed information.

I’m passionate about what’s sitting in front of me.

And, somewhere in all that preparation, I begin to think, “I’m capable.”

“I’m ready.”

Then, my Lord brings to mind a verse that’s gotten buried.

Oh, it’s familiar.

It just hasn’t risen to the surface of all that’s bubbling up in my brain. 

And suddenly, it does exactly what God’s Word is intended to do—it goes to work on my heart.

“It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of Hosts.

(Zechariah 4:6)

And just like that, all my preparation moves back into its proper place.

The list.

The study.

The capability.

The effort.

What I think about it.

How I feel about it.

None of it is wrong.

But none of it is enough…

And, I am humbled before the Lord.

Because, this one thing is certain:

Unless the breath of God’s Spirit breathes life into my doings, 

I can do nothing with lasting, eternal value. 

In and of myself I have no special ability.

Oh, I can have all the things…

The Psalmist calls them “horses and chariots.”

Preparation.

Experience.

Knowledge.

Ability.

Resources.

All good things.

But terrible things in which to place my trust.

My confidence cannot rest in the WHAT I bring to the Kingdom work before me.

It must rest in the WHO who called me to it.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

They collapse and fall,

but we rise and stand upright.

(Psalm 20:7)

So, before I tackle the calendar…

Before I check off the list…

Before I step into the Kingdom work He has given me to do…

One more thing needs to happen.

I bow the knee and pray:

Lord, breathe Your Spirit into all that I have prepared.

Because it is not by my might.

Not by my power.

But by Your Spirit.

And…That’s just a thought!