In exchange for Glory

"My people have committed two sins:

They have forsaken me, the spring of living water,

and have dug their own cisterns, 

broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

(Jeremiah 1:13)

In the second chapter of Jeremiah, God sends the young prophet to Judah with a warning: Let go of your worthless idols.

Idols.  Oh, we would know nothing about those, right?

Because we think of idols to be little clay statues, right?  When in reality, our world is flooded with idols of a different kind.  Except they are slightly different in form than clay.  They come in all shapes, sizes and substances.  Family, fame, fashion.  Weight, wealth, working out.  Government, gossip, grades.  Houses, happiness, human rights.  Cars, careers, Corporate America.  Popularity, people-pleasing, power of positive thinking.  Education, E-News, environment.  Social networking, substance abuse, societal equality.  

The list can go on and on and on.  And the truth about the examples above is that some of these things are good things.  Things that God desires us to have and enjoy and love.  He did not ever intend us, however, to worship these things.  

In Jeremiah 2, God has sent Jeremiah to the people of Judah to deliver a very hard yet important message.  He says in verse 13:

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

The people of Jerusalem made some major errors in how they treated their God:

1. They followed worthless idols ... which led to worthlessness.

2. They failed to be led by their God ... which led to wandering.

3. They forfeited God's best ... which led to lack of blessing.

In summary, they "exchanged their Glory for worthless idols" (Jeremiah 2:11).  How very, very sad.  And yet today, I wonder how many of our lives would look the same way when examined by the King of Kings. 

How many of us would admit that we too have exchanged our Glory for worthless idols?  (My hand is raised high, ashamedly.)

All too often we as believers are trapped into the lie that the world has something more gratifying to offer.  Or perhaps we just sometimes hold on too tightly to the things of this world, afraid to take our focus off those things for fear they will be taken from us.  Just like the people of Judah in Jeremiah's day. 

And yet, do we realize all the while we too could be: 

Following worthless idols ... Failing to be led by our God ... Forfeiting God's best ... ?

Oh Lord, that we would become a people who long for your Presence in our lives, more than than the "presents" of this world.  Because ... "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light" (Psalm 26:9).  In You is our purpose, both on this earth and into eternity.  Oh God, that You would keep us from digging our own cisterns - cisterns which will not hold water.  Let us not put our worth in the things that will bear no fruit, the things that will eventually evaporate into dust.  May we not drink of the water that will lead to more and more thirst.  But instead Jesus, may we drink of Your living water - the water that will fill us up to overflowing.  

 "Jesus answered, 

'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 

but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.

Indeed the water I give him will become in him

a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

(John 4:13-14)

 And so I ask: What have you given in exchange for your Glory?

Take it back, sweet sister.

Your Glory - God Almighty Himself - is so worth the trade.