Center Stage
Months ago, the concert was sold out in just a few short hours, and now the big night is here. The stadium is packed with raving fans. The chattering of the mass of people briefly ceases as the lights suddenly go dim. When they see the silhouettes of their gods walk onto center stage, they go ballistic. The cheers and whistles are deafening. Drums begin to fill the stadium, followed by the bass, and rhythm guitar. The lead guitar breaks through the thunderous sound with it high-pitched lead. The atmosphere is electric.
The spotlight comes on, resting its gaze on the lead singer who grabs the mic, and begins to sway back and forth. He leaps up and down a few times, and begins to sing on the third landing. The crowd is already in the palm of his hand. He directs their every movement, even without their realizing it. Their adoration for the gods of rock is palpable. They cheer at their crazy antics. At times the crowd overpowers the big stadium speaker, as they sing the lyrics of their favorite songs. It’s symbiotic in nature.
The fans love to worship their gods, and the gods love the adoration. Best concert ever! It’s what the band has strived for, and the fans loved putting them at the top of the charts. Even with all the success, money and accolades, the members of the band begin to implode like so many of their predecessors. The alcohol, and drugs are no longer enough. Unfortunately, some would have their life end at the zenith of their career. Maybe it’s an overdose, accident, or even by choice.
Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth (pleasure), therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
When people try to color outside of the lines, the picture is not so pretty. When they go beyond the scope of their design, destruction awaits them. We are designed to worship; not be worshipped. We are designed to worship God; not humans, or anything else for that matter. In this illustration, the band sought the glory that belongs to God alone. Instead of using their talents to glorify Him, they used them for their own recognition and honor. They took something good, and used it for evil purposes, even if they were consciously unaware of what they were doing.
While such moments are exhilarating, they are not necessarily fulfilling. Every human has a God-sized void that can only be filled by Him, which states the obvious. As long as individuals worship mankind, nature and so on, they will always wind up feeling empty. It is truly vanity.
To be clear, this analogy works the same for any area of life. People will use any medium to gain recognition. How many want to be world renowned? They’ll find their niche to make it happen (business, science, music, sports, entertainment, etc.). Some may not want fame, but they desire riches and power. But what does Scripture say?
Revelation 5:11-13 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
All these things belong to God. He alone is worthy of center stage. Those who seek to seek affirmation, because they never felt loved, may find themselves seeking glory to gain attention.
Keeping God Center Stage
When you truly receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you also receive God as your Father. When you connect to His love for you, He will fill the missing affirmation. The bigger question is do you love God, and do you fear Him. It is a healthy question for all of us to ask ourselves. When we do all things as unto to Him, we will find true fulfillment in whatever we do. As already stated, if we do them as unto ourselves, we will find a black hole.
Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
