Buckeye Nation
For the Buckeye Nation fall can’t arrive too soon. There is great anticipation for the upcoming season. Coach Urban Meyer seems to be almost a guarantee to win the national championship. Fans can hardly wait to be back in the Shoe with 105,000 of their best friends cheering for a Buckeye victory. TBDBITL will be playing. Brutus will be leading the cheers. Price is no object for tickets. But wait, is this just a little bit like worship?
People gathering to give praise to the Buckeyes. Singing hymns of worship. Giving their offering. Breaking bread. Raising their arms in praise and victory. Clapping, cheering and yelling for their glorious team. Think about it. Instead of Sunday it’s Saturday, but it’s not too far fetched of an idea.
John was misguided in his worship in Revelation 22. The angel showed him the beauty of the river of the water of life. He showed him the tree of life and the throne of God. He saw all that was in store for those who are in the presence of the Living God and his Son. But, instead of worshipping them he fell on his face to worship the angel. It is very easy to worship the created instead of the Creator. We do it every day.
God gives us many good gifts that we easily turn into idols by worshiping them. Seeking a career, we become a workaholic. Material things become more important than the spiritual. Pleasing others is a higher priority than pleasing Him. Putting our spouse or children before God. Anything in this world can become something that we put ahead of God.
I’ve heard it said before, if you want to see what your priorities are just look in your checkbook, or online bank account, to see where your money goes. Or look at your Daytimer, or smart phone, to check how you spend your time. Every day we see who we worship.
If we spend time in the presence of God, we will worship Him. Think of Isaiah in the temple. God was on His throne with seraphim surrounding Him and calling out "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty!" The doorposts shook and the temple filled with smoke. It was like a Buckeye game when the crowd is so loud that the opposing team can’t hear the quarterback.
In the presence of a holy God, Isaiah cried out, "Woe is me. I am unclean". But God makes him clean and sends him to do His work. God has made us clean to do His work also. Let us come into His presence and worship Him, the Creator, and go out to serve Him in all we do even if its cheering for the Buckeyes.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation%2022:1-13&version=NIV;MSG
http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Rev.22.1-Rev.22.13
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