day 15- why don’t I notice I am worshipping myself?

What does a path to radical ruin look like? Why don’t I notice self-worship for what it is? These are great questions. It goes something like this.

When it comes to food, you know how it seems everything that is not healthy for you is also what you like the most? I try not to eat donuts because you could call me “Homer Simpson.” I never met a donut I didn’t like. I could eat a whole box of Krispy Kremes and come back for more. It’s not just donuts. I could eat pizza for every meal. I am very skilled at wanting to eat in abundance that which I should be eating in moderation, if at all. I am an expert at eating what is unhealthy. This is no problem for me.

The same holds true for us on the path to radical ruin. In the way we treat ourselves and others, that which is unhealthy is easy to accomplish. We are experts at denial and manipulation. We hide our sin from ourselves or we may call it “good.” It is fascinating to watch people trying to be all sophisticated in their language as they try to explain why sin isn’t really sin. We have expertise in fooling ourselves and we have so much self-deception we think we are fooling others.

These are characteristics to self-worship: Denial, deception, and manipulation. We become outstanding negotiators of convincing ourselves that what is plainly and completely wrong—isn’t.

Jesus summed it up in this statement.

Matthew 16:26 (NLT)
And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Think of a behavior/habit that you have that is not healthy. How do you convince yourself that it is OK?