Thoughts about "American Idol"

Bill Keller wrote a devotional today that I
recommend to you for your consideration.  It has food for
thought.  He has given me permission to copy his e-mails,
and I'm sure he would be happy if you would share this
with people you know as well.

Are you interested in rags to riches success stories
involving entertainers like those who appear on American
Idol?  How does that interest square with your religious
beliefs?  If you are like most people, you haven't
thought much about that.

Please read on.

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL   THURSDAY MAY 25, 2006
( Psalms 2:11, Ephesians 6:7 Hebrews 12:28 )

The lessons of American Idol.  By the time this
Devotional is going out, there will be a new American
Idol.  The 5th season of the highest-rated program on TV
today (over 40 million viewers), concluded and either
Alabama's Taylor Hicks or Southern California's Katharine
McPhee was voted by the viewers as the newest American
Idol.  To Fox TV's credit, Idol is actually one of the
more watchable programs on television for families.  It
is a refreshing throwback to some of the old talent
programs that have always been popular since the
inception of television.  The real "hook" of Idol is that
it is the viewers who vote to ultimately choose who the
winner is.  There are actually several interesting
spiritual lessons from American Idol that I want to share
with you today.

The first spiritual lesson is how people will chase after
the temporary things of this world with all they have,
yet put very little time, effort, or sacrifice in pursuing
the eternal things of God.  At the beginning of each
season of American Idol, auditions are held in 5 or 6
major cities.  People come from all over and will line up
for days, camping out, braving the weather, just to be able
to audition for an opportunity to get a "golden ticket" to
go to California and the next round of the competition.  It
is amazing to hear the stories of those who sacrificed to
come to the audition, taking buses for days, using their
last dollar to get there, leaving their families and jobs
behind to try and become the next American Idol.

Of course, the ultimate goal of each person who auditions
is to become an overnight superstar in the music industry,
enjoying all of the fame and fortune that goes along with
success in that business.  It is interesting to watch
thousands and thousands of people give all they have for
a shot at becoming a famous singer.  Idol is a great
example of how people will sacrifice everything for the
temporary things this world has to offer.  My friend,
whatever fame you may acquire, whatever fortune you may
amass, all becomes meaningless the second you die.  When
you stand before God He is not gong to be impressed you
became an American Idol, or that you sold 50 million
records, or that you won 5 Grammys, or that you lived in
a 5 million dollar home, or that you were worth millions
of dollars.  No, the only thing that God is going to be
interested in and impressed by is your relationship with
His Son Jesus Christ!

A sad lesson from American Idol is the incredible lengths
most people will go to, to chase the temporary things of
this world, while very few people will make those same
sacrifices to pursue the eternal things of God.

Another great lesson from American Idol is how so many
people live their lives through the lives of others. 
Watching the program to see how your favorite does,
watching for the entertainment value is fine.  What I am
talking about are people who live vicariously though
those on the program whether it is the host Ryan Seacrest,
the judges, or the contestants.  It is amazing to me how
may people live their lives through the lives of others
whether it be Hollywood actors, people in the music
business, sports stars, TV personalities, politicians,
people they know, and even people in the ministry.

God gave each of us this wonderful gift of life.  We are
each unique and special.  You need to live your life
instead of wasting it by living through someone else's. 
When you do that, you are cheating yourself out of this
precious gift God has given you.  A great lesson from
American Idol is to not get caught up living your life
through someone else's, LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE!

The other great lesson from American Idol is that man
has the creativity and ability to create vehicles to
reach the masses with a message.  I am fully aware that
the motivation behind American Idol is money, large
amounts of money.  That is the motivation and driving
force for creating this program that is reaching the
masses.  I contend that if we can use our creativity and
ingenuity to create a vehicle to reach the masses for
money, how much more should we be using that same
creativity and ingenuity to reach the masses for Christ! 
Not only is it something we have been commanded to do by
our Lord, it should be the desire of every Believer to
reach this lost world we live in with the Truth of God's
Word and the hope we have in Jesus Christ!

Another great lesson from American Idol is that man knows
no bounds when it comes to creating something from
nothing that can reach the masses so he can make a
profit.  I submit to you today, those who know the Lord
should be challenged that if men of the world can create
vehicles to reach the masses simply to make money, how
much more motivated should men of God be to reach the
masses to bring them the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!

I love you and care about you so much.  Tens of millions
of people have watched and voted and gotten caught up in
Idolmania these past few months. It is over for another
season as either Taylor or Katharine is the newest
American Idol.  I pray today that for the people who
sacrifice and give everything they have for a shot at the
temporary fame and fortune of this life, they will
sacrifice and give everything they have for the eternal
rewards of Heaven.  I pray today that for those who live
their lives through others, they will begin to live their
own unique and special lives.  I pray today that instead
of using the incredible gifts and creativity and ingenuity
to reach the masses for a few dollars, men will use those
same gifts and creativity and ingenuity to reach the
masses for Jesus.

I'm encouraged by a program like American Idol.  It proves
people will sacrifice for the things of this world, now we
need to help them see how much better it is to sacrifice
for the things of God.  It proves that people want to live
better lives, now we need to help them see that they are
special and unique can have a better life if they will
follow the Lord.  It proves that men can create unique
vehicles to reach the masses for money, now we need to
challenge men to create unique vehicles to reach the
masses for the Lord.  May we learn these lessons from
American Idol and make an impact with our lives for
Christ!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

***If I can help you in any way you can contact me
through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND
ETERNITY?  The fact is you will die one day.  At
that moment, you will either spend eternity with
the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness
forever separated from God your creator.  To know
for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:
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(C) Copyright 2006, Bill Keller Ministries.
All rights reserved

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May God bless you as you learn from this message!

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2006 Donald W. Mitchell