In our modern world with instant news, we are quick to hear stories about pastors and priests who have fallen from grace.  These church leaders have usually done something inappropriate, so they are fired or resign and are ultimately defrocked and rarely work in ministry again.  When church leaders do something wrong, the fall from grace is usually a hard and terrible fall.

And worse than their personal fall from grace, the waves of repercussion can capsize a lot of people with them.  I’ve heard people say with great remorse, “I trusted him!” or “I believed in him” and afterwards they feel so betrayed.  They may even be so disillusioned or disturbed that they leave the church or even abandon their faith altogether.

But the real difficulties began before their pastor sinned, as these people slowly placed their faith in the church leader instead of in Jesus.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons the Bible takes such great lengths, in so many different ways, to make certain we worship Jesus, and not the people who represent him.  For example, in the gospel of John, we read: “John the Baptist was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light” (John 1:8).

Or consider the time when the apostles Peter and John healed the man who was lame from birth.  The man leapt to his feet and started jumping up and down praising God while clinging to Peter and John.  Just imagine the excitement, the noise and the ruckus as people came running to see.  But “Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness?  For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this” (Acts 3:12-13).

The apostle Paul clearly felt the same way as he wrote: “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

Just imagine all the heartbreak that occurs when we subconsciously place our faith, trust or hope in anyone other than Jesus.  We may not call it worship, but just think of the millions of people who look to politicians to lead or somehow rescue them.  Or think of the people who have made idols out of, or derive their motivation from, their favorite celebrities or athletes.  We can even make idols of our spouse or children if we aren’t careful.

So today, let’s decide who we are going to worship.  Jesus will never fall from grace, because he is grace.  He is our one and only hope and he wants to be your Lord and Savior – if only you will let him!