Starved.

The sudden surprise of Robin William's tragic suicide on August 11th has left the world shocked and saddened. At least- the portion of the world made of people who have aspired and set their dreams on becoming as famous and well-loved as Robin was. We can backtrack and remember the same surprise and shock when actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his own apartment with a needle in his arm- intoxicated with heroin, cocaine, and other drugs. Along the same lines, we can continue to rewind and find the unexpected deaths of Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger, and even Marilyn Monroe.

All the sudden deaths and probable suicides of our heroes and stars leave us shattered- and feeling a little bit hopeless. If these record-breakers, history-makers, and award-winners don't have anything left to live for, then why would we, the average everyday people?

Hollywood, though it remains glitzy and ritzy and glammed up for show, may actually be one of the most depressing and empty places on the planet. It is filled with people who have made it to the top of the totem pole, and found nothing but drug abuse, self-harm, and depression. 

Why do people starve? Because they aren't getting enough real food. They are lacking in basic nutrition. These stars under pressure are starving. The self-harmers in this world are starving. Those who struggle to wake up in the morning and cannot find the willpower to make it through the day are starving. 

How can these millionaires not be getting enough to eat? How can the suicidal teenagers and adults in first-world countries be starving? It is because they are not getting what's good for them. They are filling themselves up with inadequate substances.  And no, I'm not talking about alcohol and drugs. I am talking about themselves.

When people rise to fame, the world crowds around. They plaster their faces on every magazine, newspaper, tv and computer screen. They are found on the bedroom walls of adoring fans. They sign their name probably a hundred more times than the average Joe. The are filled with themselves. Whether they intended to or not, they began to fill themselves with their own achievements and glory. Their fans help them out by praising their looks, their talent, their humour, their voice, everything. They spoon feed these stars with a poison that is actually themselves.

By nature, humans are sinful, empty, and broken inside. If we fill that empty inside with more emptiness and brokenness, we begin a massive spiral downhill fast. Society convinces citizens that the life of fame is the best life to live. The Hollywood superstars were taught this, too. They continued to fill up more and more with their own image, and slowly starved to the point where their was double the emptiness and brokenness that they had at the beginning.

Mark 7:20-23~

And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

So many young people have the impression that to chase their dreams, they must be popular. Cool. Good-looking. Talented. Practically perfect in every way. This is the checklist that seems to work for the successful pop-culture icons. Do you notice anything peculiar about this list? Maybe not, since it sums up today's culture's expectations in just a few words. But coming from a Christian worldview, there is something dreadfully wrong about it. It is completely consumed with the individual. It surrounds the 'Me, me me!' attitude that is so lethal. 

So we spend forever trying to get the perfect selfie. We spend more time at the mirror than at the events we were getting ready for. We spend so much time and energy in fixing our outward appearance, in order to become popular and liked at school or at work. We want to be cute, funny, smart, and we just want to 'have it together.' As these points get checked off, the outer image of the individual is accentuated and improved, while the heart and mind deteriorate and the same steady speed. So many of us fall into the trap of thinking that to be full, to be happy, to be satisfied, we just need more friends. Money. Talent. You name it. So we take what we can do and how we look, and we feed ourselves with the mindset that we need to put more makeup on. We need to buy more clothes. We need to become more popular. We fill our broken selves with more brokenness, thinking that the two negatives will equal a positive.

Although the death of Robin Williams came as a shocker, we know the truth. We know that there are millions of people in the world on the same page as he was. They reached the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow- but it was just a reflection of themselves. Nothing more. 

No, the only way to properly nurture the darkness inside us is if we turn on the light- the light of Christ. Only then can we fill ourselves with proper, spiritual food. Only then can we grow and thrive. Instead of living for tomorrow and giving all we can to enjoy our lives, we live with the knowledge that we are living for the other side.

Therefore, we don't live on our own strength, filling up on our own accomplishments, but we fill up on  His strength, and on what He will accomplish through us. 

Colossians 1:10~

Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, 

and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. 

All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God 

better and better.

Garbage Day

I just told a friend that I had to go and do my devotions. I had to go be devoted for 20 minutes. I had to go prove my devotion to God by reading a little encouragement and a verse. Then we could talk again.

That's just messed. I've thought about it before, but this time something clicked inside me. What am I even doing?? We've turned a verb into a noun. A lifestyle into an appointment. We go about our daily lives for 23.5 hours each day, and meet up somewhere in there for a quick rendezvous with God to check up how things are going. This post certainly isn't a devotional- it's just a rant that God has put on my heart to share. But sitting for a few minutes and writing or reading this thing doesn't really count as devotion in my mind.

And the materials that we are labeling as devotion! I have 3 different 'devotion' books in my room. All of them consist of a page of some modern day author writing about something, with a single verse at the top. Yeah, I sure feel devoted when I read them- devoted to the author, that is.

What has happened? When I mention 'devotions,' what do you think of? I'll bet you don't automatically think of Paul and Silas locked in prison, Joan of Arc burned at the stake, Nate Saint killed by the spears, people crucified upside down, hanged, decapitated, and tortured. Am I right? In fact, the first thing that probably comes to your mind is an annoying little booklet of encouraging quotes and phrases to read as you fall into bed already half asleep.

Galatians 2:20~

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, 

but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh 

I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and 

gave himself for me.

Devotion is not a book read. It's not a song you listen to or sing. It's not a book you write. It's not a song you compose. It's not a blog you post on once in a while. Devotion is death to the self, and life for someone else. (That someone else being Christ.) It is living with the Holy Spirit inside of you, and giving him control over every decision.

To end off this rant, here are some words straight from the pen of a man under house arrest who knew a lot more about devotion to God than most people. Here is what he wrote to his friends, the Philippians, during his own imprisonment. (Obviously, if he clinged to this stuff to give him hope during that time... it's gotta be some good stuff. So read on.)

          "Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!
         I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin- a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
         I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on FAITH. 
         I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!"

Good golly, I sure hope you read that letter thoroughly. I was going nuts by the end there, bringing out the big guns- bold, italics, AND underline! (That was in Philippians 3, by the way) This is insane stuff, you guys! Paul was just about the most priestly priest guy there was- super good and proper and people probably thought he was a saint- when it came to obeying the law. He DEVOTED his life to that law, his entire life- until Jesus came and interrupted his ways for a brand new path of devotion. 

And that new path of devotion was so deep and rich and worth it that he counted all his life's achievements as GARBAGE. It could not compare with the infinite value of KNOWING Christ Jesus my Lord. 

I don't know about you, but I don't quite have Paul's reaction when it comes to my 20-minute devos every evening. I don't count my life's accomplishments as garbage when compared to that. There's a hint that something's not right.

Reading other people's books and blogs and devotionals  is good. It can be great. But if that's what we are calling devotion to God, there's something hugely wrong. Devotion is constant. 24/7 obedience to His call. It's saying a kind word. Giving a compliment. Doing the dishes without being told. Paying for the next car's meal at the drive-thru. 

Devotions aren't something you do. Devotion is something you show. It's something you prove.