Clinging to Worthless Idols

I spent last night watching the rehearsal for our church's Christmas production. It looks good so far. We have some really talented prople in our church family who go all out for Christmas. We normally put on a big production over the course of about 2 or 3 days. But why do we only do this at Christmas and Easter? I know those are the big 2 holidays for Christians, but we serve a risen and living Savior who deserves our best each and every day.

I came across one of my favorite verses again on Friday as I was prepping for Sunday Morning Bible Study. It is one of those verses that sticks with you for a long time and has meanings that continue to change over time for me. It is Jonah 2:8. After Jonah has run from the Lord he is in the belly of the big fish and has a time of reflection on his service to the Lord. It is an incredible commentary on today's Christian life. The verse says,

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."

How many times in our lives do we give up what God's best is for us only because we want to cling to those things we have control over? I am convinced that many of us don't have vibrant Christian lives because we refuse to let go of all those things in our life and let God take control. By doing that we give up what God's best is for us. It is a sad commentary about who we give control to in our lives. In this case we want to maintain control ourselves. Jonah was a prophet, a man dedicated to the calling of God, and it took him spending 3 days in the belly of a big fish for him to get it. What does it take for us to get it?