A Yugo and a BB Gun
A man teed up his ball to begin his round of golf. He took a mighty swing and missed the ball, but hit a large ant hill; ants, parts of ants, and dirt went everywhere. He swung again, missed the ball again, making thousands more ant widows and widowers.
After a third swing and a now flattened ant hill there were only two living ants – dazed and battered. One ant looked at the other and announced, This guy’s gonna kill us if we don’t get on the ball!
A wife found a list on her husband’s desk one fall. It was entitled: THINGS TO DO BEFORE WINTER SETS IN…
a. Install Franklin fireplace & Chop firewood.
b. Check weather-stripping & clean furnace.
c. Clean and repair snow blower & Replace broken storm window.
d. Get out of Wisconsin.
A sergeant served his tour of duty and was reassigned to a stateside induction center. It was his job to advise the new recruits about government benefits, especially GI insurance. Soon he had a nearly 100% insurance sales record. His officers were amazed. To find out how he did it, an officer stood in the back of the room one day and listened to the sales pitch.
The sergeant explained the basics of GI insurance to the new recruits, and then said, If you HAVE GI insurance, and go into battle and are killed, the government has to pay $35,000 to your beneficiaries. If you DON’T have GI insurance and go into battle and are killed, the government has to pay only a maximum of $3,000. Now, he concluded, which bunch do you think they’re going to send into battle first?
The ants, the husband, and the recruits had decisions to make. Decisions in life are important. The choices we make are important. The most important choice of all is: “Do we follow the one True God or do we chase after false gods?” What is the name of our “golden calf”?
The people in the wilderness couldn’t wait for Moses to return. They had no patience. They made the choice that they wanted a god now, so they told Aaron to make some gods for them. Aaron, to buy some time, asked for their gold to make the idol, figuring that they wouldn’t be so quick to give away their wealth to make the new god. He knew they were making a big mistake. But they chose to give up their gold. We might even call it “fool’s gold”.
But people today, just like then, have no patience. We demand immediate responses. If we aren’t served immediately, then we deny God and make our own gods. We fashion our “golden calves”, our gods, out of material, earthly things, or even other people.
There are so many golden calves out there today:
TIME: (calendar) We’re too busy, we don’t have time. Can you go to lunch? Let me check my calendar to see if I have time. Our daily planner has become our “god”. We must check with our “god” to see if we can squeeze you in.
TOBACCO: (cigarette pack) People get hooked on cigarettes, cigars, or chew. They need that fix. Some can’t go 5 minutes. Some light up their next cigarette from their last one. For too many people, “Mind if I smoke?” is just another way of saying, “Mind if I pray to my god?”
ALCOHOL: (beer can) Here’s another “god”. Experts say that when you drink too much, your personality changes, you become, in effect, a different person. If you too much of your “god” gets inside of you, you become a different person. And when this “god” wears off, and maybe you’ve gotten on your knees and prayed to the porcelain “god”, your problems will still be there.
SPORTS: (ball) This is a tennis ball but it represents any sport that we put ahead of everything else. Cody was born on a Friday and I was gone all weekend at a softball tournament. Softball was my “god”.
WORK: (tie) I’m sorry honey, can’t spend time with you, got work to do. You work 5 days a week, 10 hours a day and bring home work at night and on the weekend. Can’t get ahead in the company if I let anyone else outwork me. Never heard a dying person say, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.”
MONEY: (checkbook) Some people work 70-80 hrs. /wk. to maintain their lifestyles. They’re chasing the almighty dollar. They serve money as their god. Jesus said we can’t serve God and money.
CAR/HOUSE: (key) Some people wash their cars daily and clean their house daily. Have to keep their temples clean, you know. We can’t have company, the temple’s not clean! I must vacuum!
YARD/GARDEN: (trowel) Some people have to have the prettiest garden or have a perfectly weed-free lawn. All the chemicals are put on and they’re out there all day cruising for weeds, spraying the vegetables for bugs.
DRUGS: (prescription bottle) People can get hooked on drugs, even those prescribed by a doctor. Drugs, legal and illegal, can become gods. When you’re hooked on cocaine, heroine, pain medication, etc., you have to have it and you’ll do whatever it takes to get it.
TV: (remote) Shh! Don’t talk to me now, my shows are on. I just got a 120-inch TV to watch wrestling, man; it’s like being there! If you set your alarm for 2:00 am to watch the latest infomercial, you’ve got a problem.
BEAUTY: (some beauty product) We become slaves to our bodies. We put on skin cream, makeup, color our hair, and religiously workout at the gym to stay forever young. If you’re 90, your hair should be gray.
GAMBLING: (lottery ticket) I’ve heard of people gambling away life savings and their kid’s college funds, looking for that big score. But it’s like a huge vacuum, sucking every last penny you have. Gamblers think if they “hit the big one”, then life will be great. I’ve heard stories of people winning big and within a year their life is a mess. They’ve lost it all again, or they found relatives they never imagined they had. And yet, they keep playing!
COUNTRY: (flag) Yes, some people even worship the flag. They will do all sorts of things under the guise of patriotism. We pledge allegiance to the flag… one nation, UNDER GOD! And now the card industry has squeezed the church out of Christmas with “Patriotic Greeting Cards”. That’s right. Christmas cards with flags on them stating “Peace. Hope. Honor. Pride.” and “Peace is not a season but a state of mind”.
OTHER PEOPLE: A visiting minister (Henry Ward Beecher’s brother) once substituted for him. A large audience had already assembled to hear Beecher, and when his brother stepped into the pulpit, several disappointed listeners began to leave. Beecher’s brother said, “All who have come here today to worship Henry Ward Beecher can leave. All who have come to worship God keep your seats!”
These are just a very few of the many “gods” we have fashioned for ourselves. In proper perspective, most of these are not harmful. There’s nothing wrong with watching TV, having a nice-looking yard or house, having a drink, playing a sport to stay healthy, buying a lottery ticket once in a while, or wearing makeup. But I ask you again: “What is the name of your “golden calf”? At what altar do you worship? Joshua tells the Israelites to CHOOSE. He said if you’re not going to serve the Lord, then CHOOSE which gods you will serve; the gods across the river or the Amorite gods. We face the same choice. We can’t serve God and gods. It’s either God or gods! Either-or, not both!
Most of you know who Jeff Gordon is or Dale Jarrett (the UPS commercial). Do you think they would ever drive a Yugo at Talladega? NO! They wouldn’t stand a chance against those racecars with huge powerplants in them. I’m not sure if a Yugo at top speed could even go fast enough to run on a pace lap with those other cars. It’s a wannabe racecar. It doesn’t have the power to compete.
Is there anyone here who hunts, has gone hunting, or likes to hunt? Tell me this, if you went hunting for bear or moose or even a deer, what kind of gun would you use? …… So you wouldn’t use a BB gun? You wouldn’t hunt bear or moose with a BB gun? Of course not! It doesn’t have the power to stop a bear or moose. It’s not powerful enough! Think of the evil forces of this world as a bear that could rip you to shreds or a moose that could trample you like so much dirt. Do you want a wannabe gun that shoots BBs? Or do you want a real gun, with the power to handle your opposition?
God said, “you shall have no other gods before me.” These are wannabe gods. Do you want a wannabe god with no power? Or do you want the real God, the one who created the heavens and the earth? The real God who can move mountains. The real God who can heal the lame, gives sight to the blind, and can resurrect the dead?
It’s your choice. But you must choose. It can’t be both. I’m going along with Joshua; “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
