Fear him, and serve

After Joshua 24:14-15 

Fear him, the Lord;

fear and serve him

in faithfulness,

in sincerity. Abandon

those old gods you 

used to serve, or what

you believed were

gods. Serve him. You

have a choice; you know

to choose which god

you will serve. You

serve the old gods,

the not gods, or

the gods you see

in the mirror;

they’re all the same.

But me, I will serve

the Lord. My house

will serve the Lord.

We have chosen.

We fear him, and

we serve him.

No other god.

 

Photograph by Jack Sharp via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

Turning the World into a Pulpit – Dan Crabtree at The Cripplegate.

 

Baby Boomer Secrets of Power – Aaron Renn.

 

Forgive Us Our Debts – Casey Spinks at Comment Magazine.

 

Rest and Renewal in Christ – Maria Currey at CDM Women’s Ministry.

Images

After Isaiah 46-47

They chase and catch

and bow and kneel

and worship their images,

images created by themselves,

images of gold and silver,

images created of themselves

I am

there is no other

The city of images will fall

the city bowing down to selves

will fall, stripped bare,

left in silence and darkness

and the ruin of dust and

stone and rock, a ruin

no spell or sorcery

can restore, dust in your eyes

and noses and ears, blinding

and suffocating and deafening

I am

there is no other

Photograph by Petr Kratochvil via Public Domain Images. Used with permission.

Idols

After Isaiah 44:13-17

My idol is my work

my object of worship

is my home, the idol

of my heart is possessions,

bank account, reputation,

image, respectability and

influence, power and safety

my idol is what

I surround myself with

the coins I place in my purse

the gems I hoard

the land I defend

the entertainment I crave

the art I bow down to

they are my idols, my gods,

my protection and salvation

my idols are myself

Photograph by Petr Kratochvil via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

The carpenter

After Isaiah 44:13

The carpenter takes a tree

and hews wood from it

planes the wood

sands the wood

saws the wood

shapes the wood

and in the process becomes

an artist at work, the wood

in his hand shaped

into the form of a man

into the form of himself

and places it carefully,

with planning aforethought,

into its designated shrine

suitable for adoration

and worship

Photograph by Alex Grichenko via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.