SUBSTITUTES
Today's reading: 1 Kings 14-18

"In the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace and stole everything including all the gold shields Solomon had made. Afterward Rehoboam made bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the palace guard officers." 1 Kings 14:25-27 NLT

I have a bit of a sweet tooth. And to tell you the truth, 'sugar substitutes' just don't do anything for me. Give me white table sugar sprinkled generously over bland, good-for-you cereal, brown sugar that caramelizes on cinnamon rolls or over the top of pineapple upside-down cake, even honey over a lightly buttered piece of toast. But the artificial sweeteners, you can have!

You can try to sell me on the imitations. Sweet n Low has an awful whang. Splenda gives me headaches. Nutrasweet is bitter. And you can try to tell me the Stevia stuff is real, but I'm not buying it because I want the real stuff and the real stuff only! If I begin craving chemicals designed to taste like sugar, I'll grab one of those options first--until then, pass the sugar bowl.

God's got the same preferences. Do you honestly think He was thrilled with bronze shields sitting in the Temple when gleaming, priceless gold ones were what He intended? Do you think He accepted the coppery colored metal as an acceptable alternative to the importance and awe-inspiring shine of gold?

Do you think He willingly accepts the substitutes we pass off on Him?

The half-hearted service? The sorry attempts at conversation with Him? The excuses we present in exchange for obedience?

We serve in areas we're comfortable in, ignoring where it is He has asked us to shine.

We mutter prayers in emergency situations, choosing to ignore the fact He wants a day-long, intimate running conversation.

We attend worship, instead of participating in it.

High speed ministry, when He wants us still and quiet before Him.

Substitutes?