Altar good. Idol bad.

We are called to make altars, not idols.

We are asked to erect monuments of God’s glory rather than places of competition.

An altar building people are a blessed people because they continually remember God. And in turn, He remembers them.

We are all singing some sort of worship with our lives, what are we exalting? Who are we celebrating? How eternal is our gaze? Idols will never fill the void that God intentionally created just for Himself. He alone will do. The sooner we can stop crafting idols and start building altars, the closer we come to figuring that out and finding that He alone is enough.

I’ve been circling the words ‘unfailing love’ in scripture for weeks now, trying to remind my feelings of my knowings, honestly. This morning I read this and a switch flipped in my mind. I’ve been in this space before and suddenly, it’s illuminated. I recognize the room and I know the way out.

Three months after Mom passed, I was walled up on this same dark place, wondering about the ‘unfailing’ love of God and why it felt so far off. It was the last day of a youth missions trip and in my quiet time on a miserable and cold morning, when God spoke to me and reminded me that His love was like the sun. Steadfast and certain. Only occasionally out of view but never out of orbit.

Why do we let death cloud our view of God?

I’m going to board an airplane of Friday and even if it’s overcast, we are going ascend above the clouds, we will keep climbing until we see the sun again. We are going to keep climbing until I remember that no matter how dark and disparaging my immediate circumstances are, His love still shines steady somewhere above my life.

One day, we’ll be certain of His love. Beloved, there is a day coming where the sun will shine so bright that we will forget our troubles altogether. We will never lose sight of God’s love because it will be as tangible as water collecting on our skin when we come out of a pool. We will be healed and finally convinced that Christ is the cure for all that ails us.

“The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds he gave them.” (Isaiah‬ ‭30:26‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Lord, we do pray that the clouds part soon. But even if they don’t, please keep us from forgetting again. Forgive us for forgetting again. Thank You, for Your unfailing love. Help us trust it when our world is cloudy and unkind. Give us grace to climb higher, certain that we’ll see Your love shining strong above our clouds. Grow us steadfast as we wade through the rainy season and trust that the clouds will one day dissipate forever. Amen.

In this very famous run of scripture, Jesus is addressing the issue of taxes. This was a major sore spot for the Israelites. The hated taxes were exorbitant and unfair, as well as constant reminder of the chaffing Roman rule. Jesus unexpected response? “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.”

Well, it’s tax time here and we all groan at the thought of the piles of paperwork and the dollars they represent. It’s good to remember whose image is printed on those dollars, that truth makes it a little easier to file.

I suspect Jesus of a making a bigger point. I read it last night and again this morning and stopped both times to consider whose image is stamped on my life? The Creator’s, of course. Let’s keep reading.

““Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:21‬ ‭NIV)

What belongs to God? Everything that bears His image. I read it on the very first day of the year in the first chapter of the book.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis‬ ‭1:27‬ ‭NIV)

To give to God what belongs to Him is to return in full what He originally created. We belong to God. We have no real claim on ourselves, the flesh doesn’t get squatter’s rights. We were created in His image for His glory and purpose. The highest aim of our existence is to give ourselves back over to Him without reservation or limitation.

Lord, we recognize Your image imprinted on our souls. We belong to Your. We give ourselves back. We recommit our lives to Your glory and purpose. Have Your way in and through us today. Amen.

“So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded. “Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?”” (Exodus‬ ‭17:2‬ NLT)

It’s so easy to move through Exodus and point fingers. It’s far more uncomfortable to read of the Israelites’ ogling wrestle with whining and idolatry and recognize these tendencies in our own lives.

While the Israelites were living on manna, they started complaining about water.

I wonder, did they even require water? What was nutritionally provided for in the manna that “was white like coriander seed and tasted like honey?” Sounds like a tastier version of kale to me! Perhaps it met their hydration needs as well? Stranger things have happened. Their sandals did not wear out in forty years of wilderness walking; my nikes blow out after six months of hard wear! Was water even an actual need for these folks and their livestock or was it a perceived need, a luxury? God was clearly supernaturally sustaining them, He obviously hadn’t brought them out in the desert to die!

I wonder, instead, if someone started thinking about water, didn’t have the sense to keep it to themselves and wound up making the whole camp thirsty? I do that with cake sometimes. If I think about it long enough I can develop a real appetite for it. Does that mean I need it? No, it means I need to stop thinking about cake.

Whether the need for water was actual or artificial; the Israelites’ approach was all wrong. They went to God’s guy, Moses, and complained. Who was Moses to provide water for two million people in the desert? Who among men could do that in their own strength? A better approach would have been an honest conversation with God about their issue. It might have looked something like this:

Lord, we acknowledge Your miraculous provision in this season. Thank You. We have found ourselves thinking about water. If we need it, if it’

s in Your Kingdom interest, would You provide it? Even if You don’t, we still trust You. You have sustained us this far. You are a good God. Amen.

God always appreciates conversation over complaint. Appeals over demands. Petitions over protests.

It’s time for us to do a quick heart check. How quick are we to complain? To others, rather than taking it to the throne room? What divine conversation might we engage in instead? The more we talk to God the easier it gets.

The problem with the Israelites is that they demanded that Moses do all the talking for them. The truth is that every single one of them and us is capable of striking up conversation with God on our own. We should bring Him our questions and gratitude, even our complaints and praise. He can handle all of it and He longs to engage with us individually. He can fix our issue and us.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬ NLT)