Devotions this week based on the Message: “Counterfeit Gods: The Emptiness of Everything”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Tim Keller entitled, Counterfeit Gods.
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.)
$20 to buy a pack of cigarettes.
On a normal day, with real money, this was a normal transaction that would have never made the news. The fact that George Floyd used a counterfeit $20 bill sparked a chain of events that led to the death of Floyd, the conviction of officers, riots around the country, calls to defund the police, and a heightened racial tension.
Many of these issues would have been avoided, if the $20 bill was real.
Counterfeit is dangerous.
Especially when the counterfeit is our idol. We set these individuals or items up as things we trust in, revere, and put our hope in. We hope it provides love, significance, and what our soul needs, but it can’t. It’s fake. Counterfeit gods are a lie of Satan and extreme danger to our souls. Why is the danger so real? Consider these points (from Tim Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods):
- A counterfeit god will always end up disappointing you – because it cannot give you what only God can give you.
- A counterfeit god seeks to give you what only God can give you.
- A counterfeit god will enslave you consuming your time, emotions, energy and heart.
- A counterfeit god drifts your heart mind and soul away from the love, mercy and grace and blessing of the true God.
- A counterfeit god will never love you as much, provide for you as sufficiently or give you as deep of significance as the Lord gives you.
Have you experienced a counterfeit god? Can you relate with one or more of these statements? Perhaps these statements open your eyes to see what is going on in your soul. Good, God wants to expose the counterfeit and fill it with the real.
Why? Because, don’t be deceived, nothing this world has to offer can provide the blessing God intends like only God can provide. God desires no one and nothing else to take top seat in our heart. This isn’t “mean” on God’s part. He just knows that nothing can provide for the salvation of your soul like Jesus Christ. Nothing can express love and give significance like the perfect life, innocent death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing! Everything other than Christ will never fully fill the emptiness of our soul.
As I understand the chain of events, the cashier in the store went outside to confront Floyd with the counterfeit bill. The situation went from bad to worse.
The store cashier didn’t have evil intent for Floyd. He testified that he didn’t even know if Floyd realized that they were fake. He thought he was doing a favor to let him know. (I believe I understood his testimony this way.)
Sometimes we don’t realize we are holding on to a fake god unless someone points it out to us. Don’t resist when confronted with our counterfeit gods, rather repent. God is faithful and he will be more than willing and eager to replace the fake gods in our lives with the reality only he can provide.
Apply: Look at the list above. What fits one or more of these descriptions in your heart/life? Could it be that God has exposed a counterfeit god? Don’t resist, repent and be restored by the one and only true God!
Prayer: Lord, call out the counterfeit in my life and replace it with the real…you and you alone! AMEN.