chasing the wind

Replacing God

Intro

I am constantly on the look out for people that I can relate to.  I smile when I see a guy reach over and begin nibbling on his wife’s dessert.  I have a link to the person who catches a nap during a boring meeting.   I can relate to the man who walks through a mall like he is a death march.

Bill Murray – Groundhog Day — reporter covering the same story everyyear of the famous ground hog in   name Punxsutawney comes from the Indian name for the location
“ponksad-uteney” If the sun came out February 2, halfway between Winter and Spring, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather. : You want a prediction about the “ I’ll give you a winter prediction: It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be grey, and it’s gonna last you for the rest of your life”.

    Would he see his shadow.  The next morning he awakens to find that the calander is stuck.  Everyday is groundhog day.  He has the same conversations, the same events, everyday is the same.  I can relate to this. 

I recently found someone in the Bible that I can really relate to.

This man just wanted to stay in bed.

He simply did not want to face the rat cage of life

He wondered if life was worth the battle

He questioned the worth of it all

He didn’t want to face the world because he didn’t think it mattered

It isn’t just a mid-life malady or a teenage curse or a senior moment.

It is a broad brush that is painted across all of our lives.

Vanity of Vanities

King Solomon penned the book of Ecclesiastes.  He experienced the same inner demons that plague all of us.  He fought to find purpose and meaning.  He looked for that purpose in the world systems, in learning and in accomplishment.  He looked for that meaning in his vast empire.  He looked for purpose in relationships and pleasure.  What he was really looking for was a replacement,thats right, a replacement for God. 

Like Solomon, We are Looking for God in all the wrong places

We are looking for satisfaction , for meaning in the wrong things

When we seek to replace God, I believe it is usually in one of four ways.

These four ways consume our passions, possess our minds and grip our efforts.

These four ways are the paths that lead us away from God and closer to hell.

Solomon tested each of these four ways.   Would they last?  Would they stand up? Would they bring lasting satisfaction?  Lets share in the results of  his experiment in trying to replace God.

1)  The first way we try to replace God is through Work

An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat

    with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large Yellow fin tuna.

    The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish  and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.

   

The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

he American then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time?

   

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little,   play with my children,  take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos,  I have a full and busy life, senor.”

   

The American scoffed,  “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you.  You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, with the proceeds from the bigger boat  you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.  Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery.  You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City,  then LA and eventually NYC  where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

   

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”    

To which the American replied, 15-20 years.”

“But what then, senor?”

 

The American laughed and said,  “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

   

“Millions, senor?  Then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village  where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids,  take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings

where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Solomon Writes:

Are you looking for fulfillment in your job, in your profession, in your occupation?

Is your work what Identifies you?

I promise you, it will leave you longing for more.

The Post Office is a poor substitute for God

If work frustrate you — good —look to God for satisfaction instead.

A very successful lawyer parked his brand new Jaguar in front t of his office, ready to show it off to his colleagues.  As he was getting out of the car, a truck came too close and completely tore the drivers door off the Jag.  Very soon a policeman arrived , but before he could do anything, the lawyer was screaming hysterically.  His brand new Jag, just one day old, was wrecked and probably would never be the same and why didn’t the policeman do something about it.

After the lawyer finally wound down form his rant, the cop shook his head in disgust and disbelief.  He said “I can’t believe how materialistic you lawyers are.  You are so focused on your possessions that you didn’t even notice that your left arm is missing from the elbow down?  It must have tore off when the truck hit you.”

The lawyer looked down.  “My God” he screamed, “My Rolex!”

Solomon writes:

I don’t care how much you have, you want more

            Its the american way– we are consumers first.  Humans second.

Are you looking for meaning within the clutches of money?
Are you looking for a replacement for God in the dollars in your account, in your investments, in your possessions your retirement

They will rust, rot and never fill you up.

It is no surpruise that shopping has become modern Americans God of sorts.  The accumulation of possessions is the way we find fulfillment.  The brands we buy establish our sense of belonging with a paticular social group.  Our possessions define our identitty.

The ancient and modern myth is that just a little more will be just enough

I have recently read the book “Into Thin Air” about a fatal ascent of Mount Everest.   The writer chronicles the climbing profession and how each of the enthusiasts try to one up the others.  They try to climb the peaks the fastest, or they take new paths, or climb multiple peaks in successive months. They try using primitive equipment and leave the oxygen tanks at home.  They are constantly reaching for the most outlandish, the most outrageous, t he most breathtaking ascent of every mountain.  And yet , still they are not satisfied.

What is the emphasis in these verses?

I amassed.  I became. I bought. I was. I did.

He realizes in verse 11 that all the things that he did amounted to little more than a hill of beans. 

You see, our society places great emphasis on human accomplishment.  We have over 1700 institutions of higher learning in our country

And yet, I can name the truly intelligent people in my life on one hand.

We have massive inter states, water systems , telephone links, microwave relays and space shuttles

We have All the modern conveniences and yet not one of these has touched my heart when I am sad

No sport, no pleasure, no endeavor will replace your need for a Savior.  Nothing can possibly supplant your inner desire for God.

When we try to fill the ache, the void with things that are not from above, with the impermanent, with the transient, we are ultimately frustrated.  

Chuck Colson calls Hedonism one of the four horsemen of the age.   Hedonism is the endless devotion to pleasure.  This aptly describes our present culture.   We are pleasure seekers.   From our cars, to our homes , to our hobbies to our sports to our clothes to our sexual appetite to our food to our drugs and alcohol —- we are hopelessly addicted to pleasure

So how is your life?

Do you feel the ache

Do you feel the void

Are you frustrated and empty by life’s pursuit

God is the one who fills every craving, every longing

Invest in eternity

Turn your pursuits over to the Almighty

Invest your thoughts, your passions, your desires in the Eternal clutches of Your Saviors

By turning your vain race over to Jesus Christ you will benefit from his sacrifice that was made for you.

He died so you quit running

            quit striving

            quit working

He died so you can be free

End of Ecclesiastes Eccl 12:13-14 NIV)  Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

You can find purpose and meaning once again