The god of the stomach

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.  For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:12-21).

Which do you serve?  The God of the cross, or the god of the stomach?

The god of the stomach is a very popular religion.  It has more churches dotting the landscape than any other faith.  It influences political campaigns and foreign policy.  It shapes our legal system and the news media.  The god of the stomach is a powerful and far-reaching religion.

The god of the stomach is based on one primary assumption: you are the most important thing in the universe.  Your comfort and happiness always come first. Every hour of the day should be packed with fun.  Friends and family exist to make you happy; if they do not, you should replace them. If a job is hard or doesn’t pay you big bucks, leave it and find something else.   If you are not good at sports or lose at cards, play games on the computer where you can set the controls on ‘easy.’

When you follow the god of the stomach, it affects your behavior.  When you get sick, you expect others to drop what they’re doing so they can take care of you.  When something catches your eye, you buy it—and if you don’t have enough money in your account, you charge it.  You get angry when you’re stuck in traffic, standing in line, or waiting for a web page to open.  You make fun of people who don’t agree with your opinions.  You know what your rights are, and no one better try ordering you around. 

Like any religion, the god of the stomach influences your priorities.  When it is important to look good, getting a facelift becomes a necessary expense.  When it is important to have several nice homes scattered around the country, it is easy to bend a few rules in the pursuit of money.  When it is important to be well liked, you’re going to accept all sorts of strange and aberrant behavior as acceptable. 

The god of the stomach is worshiped with money.  You are the most important being in the universe; the best way to use money is to spend it on yourself.  We see this kind of thinking in politicians who spend $200 on a haircut and $700 on a pair of glasses.  We see the god of the stomach worshiped when celebrities that are worth millions complain that they aren’t making enough and threaten to stop working. 

The god of the stomach is popular in politics and sports, in Hollywood and Nashville.  But this religion is also popular right where you live.  You worship the god of the stomach too.  You worship him when you run up credit card debt for purchases that could wait.  You honor him when you throw away something that could be fixed or donated to the poor.  You serve him by wasting money on gambling.  You worship the god of the stomach when you say “no” to charity.

How do you recognize someone who follows the god of the stomach?  His followers are so hungry for pleasure that they are willing to risk their health by smoking, over eating, abusing drugs, or exposing themselves to venereal disease. His faithful treat other people like toys to be used for their amusement. His worshipers hire lawyers to protect their freedoms and escape their responsibilities.

I said earlier that this religion has churches everywhere.  The god of the stomach is worshiped in restaurants, where you spend far more on a meal than you would by cooking your own food.  The god of the stomach is worshiped in retailers, where you spend extra money just to get a designer label.  The god of the stomach is worshiped in car dealerships, where style and extra features often trump fuel efficiency and a good warranty.  The god of the stomach is worshiped in courthouses, where spouses who are unhappy with their partners file for divorce.  The god of the stomach is worshiped in hospitals, where pregnant mothers abort children they don’t want.  The god of the stomach can be worshiped anyplace where money changes hands. 

The god of the stomach is attractive to everyone.  After all, who doesn’t prize freedom?  Who doesn’t like having a good time?  Who doesn’t want to be the center of attention?  On the surface, this religion looks very appealing.  But consider Proverbs chapter 16, verse 25: There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.  Things that look too good to be true generally are.  Paul tells us that if you follow the god of the stomach, your destiny is destruction.

It should be obvious.  A religion of “me first” can only result in chaos.  Everyone would be fighting with each other over stuff they want but refused to share.  Work places would be a revolving door of new faces, as people routinely moved on in search of greener pastures.  No child would have a family they could depend on, because couples would be constantly hooking up and splitting up.  For that matter, how many children would even see the light of day, if mothers only saw them as an inconvenience?  Living in such a world would not be fun—how much joy can you have if the only person you can depend on is yourself?  Such a life would be lonely and frightening beyond words. Even worse, the god of the stomach offers nothing good at the end of life—when you die, the fun is over. 

Thankfully, there is another religion—the religion of the cross.  The God of the cross is very different from the god of the stomach.  The God of the cross puts others first.  The religion of the cross is based on three primary teachings.  1) All humans are evil from conception; by nature, we are enemies of the holy God.  2) In order to end hostilities, God sent His Son into the world to suffer and die as our substitute; on the cross, God punished Jesus for our sins.  3) Jesus rose from the dead and opened the gates of heaven for us; if we trust in His merciful love, He will give us eternal life and eternal happiness. 

The God of the cross gives us release from guilt and hope for a better tomorrow—so why don’t more people flock to His churches?  It’s because the God of the cross has different priorities than we do.  His religion is about putting others first.  Jesus said, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matthew 22:37-39).  The religion of the cross is about humility, not pride; it is about serving others, not being served.  Jesus Himself set the pattern: even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). 

The God of the cross is worshiped with giving.  God is the most important being in the universe; the best way to use your time and money is to give it to Him.  We see this kind of thinking in elderly Christians who write the church into their wills.  We see the God of the cross worshiped when followers put more in the collection plate than they spend on cigarettes or eating out.  Perhaps most famously, we see this devotion in the Widow’s Mite: Jesus sat down…and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins…Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on" (Mark 12:41-44).

When you follow the religion of the cross, it affects your behavior.  When others get sick, you drop what you’re doing so you can take care of them.  When something catches your eye, you stop and think before you buy—is this something that I really need, or would those dollars be better spent supporting a missionary?  You make time to listen to your children, stay in touch with fiends, or volunteer for a charity.  You only speak when you have something positive to say, and if you have to correct someone, you do it with loving patience.  You are less concerned with your rights than you are with acting responsibly

The God of the cross influences your priorities.  When it is important to thank God for His Son’s death, coming to church becomes a necessity.  When it is important to ask God for help in doing the right thing, prayer becomes a matter of routine.  When it is important to keep unbelievers from walking into hell, you will point out sin for what it is and talk about the Savior.

How do you recognize someone who follows the God of the cross?  His followers are so grateful for His love and forgiveness that they want to serve as His voice and hands.  They gather in church to sing and learn and pray.  They tell their friends and relatives about Jesus and invite them to worship as guests.  They support the church generously through money in the plate and service on committees.  They pray for their pastor, the work of the church, and those who follow the god of the stomach.

Christian churches are everywhere.  Yet they do not receive the kind of support that is given to the church of the stomach.  Most churches of the cross struggle to make ends meet.  But you can help.  You can worship the God of the cross by cooking at home instead of eating out.  You can worship the God of the cross by avoiding expensive designer labels when you shop.  You can worship the God of the cross when you buy cars that are durable and get good mileage.  You can worship the God of the cross by fixing broken things instead of replacing them.  The God of the cross is worshiped when you save money so that it can be used to support the work of His church. 

Jesus said, No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6:24).  So I challenge you.  Each time you use a credit card, each time you write a check, each time you open your wallet, each time you make out an offering envelope, ask yourself: are you worshiping the god of the stomach, or the God of the cross?  Which god do you serve?