WHEN WAL-MART CAME TO CRESCENT CITY the whole county turned out. People somehow believed that Wal-Mart was the answer to all our shopping problems. To be honest, I thought it was pretty cool, too. I once remember exclaiming to Linda, “If Wal-Mart doesn’t have it, then you don’t need it!” Yes, Wal-Mart seemed to have it all.
Sadly, for many, this new shopping attraction became almost a reli-gious experience. People were making weekly pilgrimages to this temple of consumerism, looking for the latest in low-price specials. They came to lay forth their sacrifice and received in return the latest goods that would make their lives better; only to return again and again to have “spiritual” needs met.
Now, I am not seeking to lambaste Wal-mart, for they are only provid-ing that which we demand, but I am seeking to drive home a point. I be-lieve the Apostle Paul could say to us what is recorded in Acts 17, “Men of Athens, I can see that you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar to an unknown god.” If Paul were to walk around today what altars would he discover? I believe they would be many, and he would discover most of them in places other than in our churches.
As those created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) we are inher-ently spiritual beings. We were created with a need, a desire, to worship. Tragically, because of sin, the focus of our worship is greatly misplaced. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, we have become worshippers of the created thing rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:25) This is not what we were created to do.
Now that the holiday to the god of consumerism and consumption as past, I call us all to return to the One God who can fulfill our deepest long-ings and needs, the God who created us, and is deserving of our com-plete worship. Let us rise to the reason for which we have been created which is to “worship God and enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism)
Let us be what God created us to be, and worship Him!