Idols

I love my church. Most of the staff from Compasio attend a house church in Mae Sot Villa, and on my first Sunday here I was taken to their usual place. I have always wanted to attend a house Church. It just seems like the closest thing to the first Church. I've always wanted to experience the closeness of friends worshiping together, the freedom of having the Spirit lead in individuals to speak, and sitting in a circle.

Most of the people at this Church work for various NGO's in Mae Sot, but some are working teaching English, doing medical work, or are Karen who have married a westerner. We always have a lesson, but in that lesson we are free to speak, and share our hearts or what we feel God has revealed to us. Today we talked about idols and not only what was an idol in Old Testament time, but what we idolize today. Idolatry is obvious in Thailand. There are spirit houses all over. Every house and restaurant has one.

The people make an offering to the bad Spirits early in the morning, a plea if you will, to leave them alone. They give them a small house so they will stay out of the big house. This is an obvious sign of idolatry, less obvious is what we as westerners practice. We make idols of so much. Food, cars, paychecks, jobs, homes; someone said that and idol is basically what you spend time thinking about, stressing over, and working for.

I've been thinking about how I live. I live with such excess. There is always something new that I "need", whether it is a new pair of shoes or a new pillowcase. But, today I thought, what do I really need? We don't really need much to survive. Take for example, a glass of water. Sure, it would make us more comfortable to have a glass of water, but we don't really need it. We could go for 24 hours without drinking a glass of water. I've realized living here with the poor, how much we are really blessed. We are so blessed to have carpet. I was in a home the other day with a floor made of wood slats. Gaping holes and cracks revealed the mud beneath. There were no beds, no chairs, no sink, no lamps. They had the bare minimum, yet they still had what the needed.

I feel challenged to live within my means. To rely on God to provide for me, and to keep my eyes and heart focused on Him. To trust that He knows what I need. I choose to set my sights on Him, to not put my trust in other things to sustain me. What do you idolize? What do you always find time for, no matter how busy you are? Can we do that in our relationship with God? Am I able to make time for Jesus, even if I am rushing and hecka busy? Don't I always find time for facebook? Why not the Creator?

Remember, true comfort comes from knowing that you are in the will of the Father who treasures you more than you can imagine.

"I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

-Matthew 6:25-27