Thursday Talk Story for June 11, 2009

#17 Thursday Talk Story for June 11, 2009

Psalm 68: 20 “Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord belongs escape from death.”

What idols do we fashion and follow today? The choices are endless. We can turn any thing into an idol by making it more important than God. Fun, money, sex, family, sports, or anything else we can think of can take God’s rightful first place in our hearts and minds. John Calvin the great 16th century reformer (whose 500th birthday is July 10th, 2009) said the human heart is an idol factory. An idol is anything that takes God’s rightful first place in our hearts and lives. What do we put first in our lives?

Leanne Van Dyk professor of reformed theology at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI has written that, “A key insight of the Reformed tradition is that we are all, at heart, idolaters. The gods we hunger and thirst for include status, money, security, recognition and power. Calvin’s great precursor, Augustine, knew about these competing gods as well. In a prayer that includes all of us, he said, ‘Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee. ….The remarkably big claim of the Christian faith is that in Jesus Christ we find our rest in God.” (Presbyterians Today p. 4 June 4, 2009, www.pusa.org/today)

The Psalmist proclaims that the God of Israel is the God of salvation who helps us escape death. Life without God is death. Jesus is God’s secret salvation plan that gives us life and peace because He defeated death. Peter explained more fully when he sang, “Thank God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that we have been born into a life filled with hope because of Christ’s rising from the dead…” (I Peter1:3)

This hope is what our Christian faith is all about. Our hope in Christ for life now and eternity changes everything. Now everyday is our chance to live in gratitude to God for the hope we have in Christ. He is God with us. As Calvin said, “God shows us his righteousness, goodness, wisdom, power, in short his ENTIRE SELF in Jesus Christ.” (Ibid. p. 4) Idols are useless.

Thank you God for revealing yourself completely in Jesus Christ and for the assurance of eternal life Your Word and Spirit give us. May we rejoice in that hope and live grateful lives of joyful service to you forever.
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