"Less Than Zero"

"They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead." (Psalms 106:28)

 If you don't know yet what sin can do, it's a lot like cocaine and the way it just makes you feel like doing more off it. Our biggest enemy is most times ourselves, and if we are not careful, ourself will drive us right off the cliff. This has got to be more about others than ourselves; more than that, it has got to be about Jesus Christ and what He suffered through in order that we might be saved, saved from none other than ourselves. If you aren't familiar with the title, it comes from a 1987 movie which stars Robert Downey Jr., who plays a young man that gets so hooked on the power of cocaine, that he sells his body to support his habit. Sometimes actors can get a little carried away n their roles; sometimes, learning to play the part can be hard to unlearn. The images of what took place in the verse above are not the kinds of things you want to share with your children, but let's just say that they pushed the limits of physical contact. Matthew Henry called it 'spiritual whoredom,' which was a cleaner description of what was going on in the hearts and minds of those who worshipped and "ate the sacrifices of the dead." Maybe that sounds a little vague, but when you trade the worship at the altar of the Living God, to worship at the altar of the dead, you have taken it down to the lowest level possible. There is really no place lower you can go, yet they not only went there, but they thrived there, letting it consume them into things that are hard to imagine. This is the perfect picture of how sin will overtake our lives, if we leave it unchecked or do not repent and ask God to help us. If anyone there has ever dealt with an addiction, then you know how difficult it is to break old habits. There is something about sin that brings a certain taste, a taste that is empty and yet wants to be filled. The sad thing is, it cannot be filled, no matter how much you feed it, it keeps wanting more. This is the picture of what was happening to the children of Israel. You cannot seriously expect to get satisfied by worshipping at the alter of the dead, death provides no life whatsoever. Jesus is the Life! Only in Jesus Christ will we be satisfied and find true life! There is nothing on this earth that can give us the kind of life that Jesus will. Yet, it requires our surrender! Guess what? So does sin! I guess it's just a matter of which way you want to go...

"LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and you name is full of power. Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you. People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood!" (Jeremiah 10:6-8) NLT