The next question we need to consider is, “Does it matter?”  I believe this questions matters, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey, because on some level all of humanity has already committed themselves to some type of god. Even if we say, “I don’t care about all that religious stuff.”  It isn’t true.

If you read all your psychology and sociology books they will all tell you that people have needs, and underneath all those needs is a deep, deep need to fix our hearts and minds on something, and give complete allegiance.  It is to put all your weight, trust, belief, and security in something, and at the end of the day it is our own personal type of god.

For example, some of us have fixed our hope on romance. We have a deep longing for romantic relationships.  It is why we sing the song, “You’re Nobody ‘Till Somebody Loves You.”  Where is the allegiance?  Where is the trust?  It is in your romantic relationships.  You might tell people you are agnostic, an atheist, or a Baptist, but when you don’t have that romantic relationship in your life it is devastating, and when you do it is exhilarating.

Another might be your work.  For you your song would be, “You’re Nobody ‘Till Somebody Promotes You.”  Where is their hope?  When this person does well at work they feel great about themselves, but when they struggle at work, get demoted, get laid off, then there is devastation.  Maybe this person even overworks because they are terrified if they are not doing well in their professional career?

Another might be your body.  I was dating a girl in high school that said, “If I don’t have my looks, I don’t have anything.”  She recognized that she felt if she lost her physical beauty then she would have nothing to offer in life.  Now, personally, I don’t have that struggle.  I am naturally shaped like a pear.  But, for some of us the quality of our day is determined by our physical appearances.

Another might be certainty in life.  You worry all the time.  You worry about your children, the country, about people, and your longing for certainty keeps you from taking any risks in life.  How could you take that job, marry that person, have those children, there are too many unknowns, and your security is anchored in your certainty.

So lets not deceive ourselves.  On some level, we all believe in a type of god, and we all give our allegiance to something.  Even the greatest skeptic is utterly and completely adoring something.  If a person pushes back and says, “I am absolutely independent” then their independence is their type of god.

Therefore, we have to ask ourselves, “Is our type of god worthy of our worship and devotion?”  Is this god sufficient?  Is this god secure?  Is this god good?  Is this god worthy of our devotion?

At North Village Church, we believe the only God who exists and matters is Jesus, and in Matthew 7 Jesus says when we wrestle with these questions, no matter where we start, we would do well to, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

When you see those words in the original language it is, “Ask, and keep on asking.  Seek, and keep on seeking.”  I hope as a church family we are always asking and always seeking, and inviting others to join us on that journey.