And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image 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 parents 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. EXODUS 20:1-6 (NIV – NEW INTERNATIONALS VERSION) IDOLS IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER Have you noticed that in recent history, the word “idol” has been completely disassociated from the word “idolatry”? In church circles, we recoil at the mention of idolatry, as it brings to mind images of golden calves and other things once worshiped by heathens. We know these things are wrong, because our worship should be directed to God alone. But do we feel the same about “idols”? Today’s culture enjoys its own idols. We have music stars, beauty queens, pop-culture icons, and sports heroes all fighting for our interest. And, in return for their hard work, we give them just what they want: our focus and attention. We sit for hours in front of the TV, follow fashion trends of top celebrities, and read, watch, or listen to anything that features our favorite public figures. The 1950s gave our society a term that has since characterized our culture-driven mindset: the “teen idol.” We must be reminded what an idol is. It’s not simply some image of a false god to whom we bow down in worship. Instead, an idol is anything that we value more than the Lord. This could be movie stars, prized possessions, or even our loved ones. The nature of idolatry is distraction. When something pulls our eyes away from God, we begin to spiral out of control. Bring your distractions to the Lord, asking forgiveness for the times you’ve allowed other people or things to take precedence in your life. Pray for the wisdom to enjoy His blessings without being blinded by temptations that pull you from communion with Him..
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 01:03:34 +0000
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