Thursdays are staff meetings at the church. After staff meeting, we pick a place to go to lunch and whoever can make it loads up and heads to the restaurant du jour. This week it was Zionsville Pizzeria and their all you can eat buffet! I love buffets. Not only will I be assured of getting my money’s worth but I love a variety. I can eat from four or five different pizzas. Try new ones with little risk. And a salad bar. Don’t get me started!  Sometimes when we go to dinner and I can’t nail down the one thing I want to eat I go for the Appetizer Sampler Platter. Variety. Options. Wings and Mozzarella Sticks and Fried Pickles!

The Sampler mentality works well in a lot of areas of life; music (Contemporary Christian and Classic Rock, because the 80’s had the best music); movies (Barbie and Oppenheimer – Barbenheimer); books (classics, biographies, sci-fi). The Sampler offers different options for how a person is feeling at the time. And while it works well in some areas – religion is not one of them. But many live their lives sampling various religions and taking something from Hindu, a little from Buddha, a pinch of secular humanism and mix it in with a healthy shot of Christianity. Whatever makes them feel good. We call it pluralism and it doesn’t work. It basically states that all world religions are true and equally valid in their understanding of truth, God and the world. A neighbor to pluralism is relativism. Where everyone gets to choose their own version of truth and no one can tell them they are wrong. But this doesn’t work. Two people can’t believe opposite things and both be right. That isn’t reality!

As we continue our discussion on consecration, we are reminded that the definition is to set apart or to devote a person or thing. We understand that to mean devotion to God and God alone. Consecration doesn’t offer a sampler patter. Yet many times reality finds us treating consecration with a sort of relativism. We allow things and activities to crowd out God as number one in our life. We allow misinformation or just bad teaching to shape our understanding of God. God is all loving, therefore, Hell doesn’t exist? God and science don’t mix? God will answer my prayer if I am good? God loves everyone, so it doesn’t matter how you live your life? We push God to the margins and live as practical or temporary atheists.

What does Scripture say about this Religious Sampler?

1 Corinthians 8:6, “But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.”

Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

The question then has to be asked, What part of the world’s thinking have we allowed to shape our faith in God? or Where have we conformed to the pattern (whether thinking or behavior) to this world? or What area of our life reflects more of the world than it reflects the image and character of God?

The answer points to the area that is yet to be consecrated. That part of our life that we need to confess and bring under the lordship of Christ.

Sampler’s are good to eat but a lousy way to build our faith!

“The world has yet to see what God can do with a person fully consecrated to him. Will you be that person?”