Prostituting Ourselves

Moving a little further with yesterday's post, Preston's comment about fame being a motivator for pastors, preachers, and other Church leaders (whether or not that was the original motivator) is actually the situation that originally brought the post to mind.

In Judges 8, the account of Gideon is wrapped up. God has used him and a small contingent of men to defeat the Midianites, and afterward the Israelites ask him to be their ruler. Gideon responds by saying, "No way! The Lord is your ruler." He attempts to do something good by having the people donate all the gold earrings and such that they plundered from the Midianites, and from them he makes a gold ephod, a ceremonial apron for the priests. The implication is that this will continually enable the Israelites to remember how God defeated their opponents. Here's the short story of that ephod:

"Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family." (Judges 8:27, NLT)

This is not an uncommon story, and it's a situation to which many Christ-followers fall prey. As we focus on the things we do, they and our motives can both easily become corrupted. The daily, continual pouring out of oneself to God and the pouring in of His Spirit is an absolute necessity for the Christ-follower. I find that a continual examination of my motives is necessary, as is a continual request for God to purify my motives and all I am.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)

Posted in: Christianity, Fame, Life