Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:22-25
“Throughout history the most universally acknowledged problem with money is that its pursuit is insatiable. As we seek money and possessions, observers note, the pursuit grows into a never-satisfied desire that fuels avarice … The insatiability touches two areas — getting what we do not have and clutching on to what we do … People in high pursuit of money think only of making money … Individuals and societies who devote themselves to money soon become devoured by it. Or as the Bible reiterates, we become what we worship. Money almost literally seems to eat people away, drying up the sap of their vitality and withering their spontaneity, generosity, and joy.”
Os Guinness in The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003) 130-131.
One project I am working on these days with a colleague, Tim Dittloff, is a devotional called “Imago Dei Living” (Latin for “Image of God living”). When we don’t follow God’s design for our lives — formed in His image — we worship money rather than God and we become fools who chase our desires like animals. When we instead focus our worship on God, as Guinness rightly notes, we exhibit vitality, spontaneity, generosity, and joy.
The word “spontaneity” in today’s meditation particularly struck me because of something that happened in the last couple days. Last weekend while ministering in Florida, we met some wonderful couples. Jenni had a special connection with a woman from Oklahoma: Donna Hepp. When Donna learned Jenni would be ministering in Guatemala this weekend, she asked if she could come too. Then yesterday her husband, Marty, dropped by for lunch en route to a conference. Just like that, we are collaborating in the Kingdom with this couple. I’ll share more about the Guatemala trip in the next few days.
Today I head Kansas City to meet up with EFCA colleague, Garth Warren, for meetings with the leaders of Made To Flourish, a pastor’s network for the common good. This organization provides helpful resources and connects pastors and marketplace leaders in networks linked to the integration of faith, work, and economics. Getting back to the idea of today’s meditation, MTF encourages people work not for compensation or remuneration (“making money”) but for contribution and reflection (“making a difference” and “glorifying God”).
Guinness is spot on in saying: “We become what we worship.”
Tim Dittloff and Donna & Marty Hepp worship God and exhibit the vitality, spontaneity, generosity, and joy of the LORD. We hope people say that about Jenni and me as a couple too. And I am thankful for Garth Warren and my friends at Made To Flourish who are helping pastors point people to God’s design for their faith and work so that they make a difference and glorify God (which is why Garth and I hope to connect their work with EFCA pastors around the country before I fly home tonight).
But what about you? What are you becoming?