Tethered to the Trinity

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 6:21

 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

(ESV)

We all worship something.  While most of us do not engage in pagan worship as did the occupants of the Promised Land before the Israelites came to the land (Exodus 34:11-17), we do have idols of worship in our modern society.  For anyone to enjoy a close and vibrant relationship with God it is imperative that one make God the object of their worship and discard any idols of worship that may be present in their lives. 

While these idols may not by themselves be inherently evil, they do serve as distractions in our relationship with God and must be removed as the treasure of our life and replaced by living a life of treasuring God.  Some of the Idols that may be present in our lives today include,

1)      Pleasure – Unfortunately, our sex obsessed culture has placed a sexual connotation to pleasure.  This is unfortunate because pleasure is actually any activity bringing us happiness.  Our pleasure may be sports, reading, writing, watching TV, going to movies, or spending time with family or friends.  There is nothing inherently wrong with these pleasures but they must be kept in their proper priority in our lives.  Just as sex is not wrong within the context of marriage, other pleasures are okay unless they begin to take the place of God in our lives for this is when they become an idol and lead to trouble in our lives.

2)      Chemical indulgences – Alcohol is a huge global industry.  In addition, many states in the United States are beginning to legalize the recreational use of Marijuana.  Everyone’s life is full of trouble, something Jesus reminds us of in John 16:33.  However in the last part of that verse Jesus also reminds us that He has overcome the world, something he demonstrated four days later by resurrecting from the grave.  Those indulging in alcohol or drugs to help them forget their troubles are setting up these indulgences as an idol in their lives.  Unfortunately, alcohol and drugs can become addictive and take control of one’s life robbing them of the happiness of a life treasuring God. 

3)      Money or possessions – 1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  Some have wrongfully interpreted this verse to say that anyone possessing wealth is evil but, like with any passage of scripture, we must view these words in their context.  The book of 1 Timothy is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to a young minister.  It is not a command for Timothy not to possess wealth but a reminder not to let money dominate his life.  In affluent societies like the United States, we can easily become obsessed with career and the accumulation of possessions and place God on the back burner of our lives.  Unfortunately, some churches and religious leaders of our time cater to this obsession with what some call the prosperity gospel taking out of context John 10:10 and Philippians 4:19.  The abundance of life promised by God is a life of close intimacy with Him through Jesus and God promises to meet our needs, not necessarily everything we want.

4)      Career – In the pursuit of more money and possessions, we can also become obsessed with career leaving behind our relationship with God and family.  Once again, career is not inherently evil but we must, with God’s help, learn to live lives balancing career, family, and God.

5)      Government or politics – We live in the information age with 24-hour cable news, talk radio, and constant news alerts coming to our smart phones.  Government also has tremendous influence upon our lives and since it is run by flawed human beings, often disappoints us.  When we become obsessed with mostly negative news and failed political leaders, we can easily become cynical.  Since nobody likes to be around a cynical person, this will begin to affect our relationships with others.  It can even cause us to begin doubting God since he is allowing all this negativity and failure to continue.  Unfortunately, politics is present in everything we do and government is needed to maintain civility in our world.  We therefore must be careful not to allow these things to become idols in our lives.  

6)      Family – Family is essential in our lives and provides the best example on earth of our relationship with God.  The Church is referred to in scripture as the Bride of Christ (Matthew 25:1-12).  Those that accept Jesus as their savior become children of God (John 1:12).  However, this earthly picture is an imperfect picture because it is made up of flawed individuals.  Family can also become an obsession when we place pleasing family members above living a life pleasing to God.  The best thing we can do for our spouses or children is live a life pleasing to God so that the love of God can shine through us and influence their lives.

7)      Church – Except for a few paid staff members, most of our churches are run by volunteers.  These volunteers are the backbone of the church and without them, the church would not be able to do much of what it does.  However, one can become obsessed with serving in the church at the expense of friends, family, and even career.  I believe we should all serve in some capacity within our churches but let us seek God as to where we should serve so as not to allow service to Christ within the church to become an obsession in our lives.  After all, our salvation is not based upon our good works but upon God’s grace. 

Tethering our lives to the Trinity means living a life pleasing to God through acceptance of the gift of salvation provided by the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross, enabling the Holy Spirit to empower us to understand and live according to the Word of God.  Therefore, join me in ridding our lives of the idols holding us back from living fully for Christ.  A world in turmoil is waiting to see how to live in peace with God and must see us living the life they desire and not lives of obsession to idols that while not inherently bad, can be destructive in our lives.