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Exodus 20:4-6
"You shall not make for
yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the
waters below. You shall not bow down to them or
worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin
of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me, but showing
love to a thousand {generations} of those who
love me and keep my commandments.
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March 4
No Idols
Idolatry today seems like
such a foolish, ancient, and pagan thing to do.
It is a matter of common sense that anything
that a person makes with their own hands cannot
be considered a god or have any sort of power to
make their life better.
But idolatry is just as
much a part of life today as it was thousands of
years ago. We may not bow to an object but
we worship it in our attitudes, how much time we
spend with it, and where our resources go.
There is nothing wrong
with having possessions. I have a big
screen tv, a couple of video game consoles, and
high speed internet. I spend massive
amounts of time online and checking my email.
Your priorities may be in fishing, reading,
watching sports, gardening, or camping.
Something becomes an idol
when we place it before God however. We
should enjoy life and any hobbies that we have.
But a problem occurs when we miss church to go
camping or watch football. There is a
problem when we don't give to church as we
should because we have to pay off a big screen
tv or a mortgage that stretched us farther than
we should have gone.
Possessions are great,
just don't let them distract you from your
worship of God. When they begin to draw
you away from doing what God wants, then they
are an idol. When that happens, we're
every bit as guilty as the ancient pagans who
bowed before statues of gold. |
