Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Idols

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 (Exodus 20:4).

When God gave this commandment to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, the worship of idols was a real problem throughout the world. Strictly defined, an idol is a physical representation of a god. It is a statue or a carving or even a painting of something that people pray to or treat as the most important thing in their lives. In the ancient world, most religions involved the worship of idols.

But idols exist in our modern world as well. For years, Japanese people have been fixated on what they call "idol singers", performers so popular that their fans can scarcely concentrate on anything else. People in Hollywood have created their own twist on this and called it "American Idol." The idea, of course, is that these idols will be so popular that the American public will ignore all other activities in order to watch them.

An idol, as God defines it, is anything that commands the respect and attention that we should be giving Him. Who gets most of your disposable income—God or your own addiction to cigarettes or alcohol or gambling? Which gets the higher priority—time spent in church or time devoted to fishing? What dictates your moral boundaries as you make ethical decisions—the Ten Commandments or your political party? What gives you peace—praying to Jesus or being reassured by your horoscope?

God forbids us from giving our attention to idols. Nothing is more important than God—He gave you life and He sent His Son to the cross to free you from sin and eternal death. To treat anything else as more important is commit the worst sin of all, because the First Commandment says: you shall have no other gods before me. An idol competes with God for your attention; that makes it supremely dangerous to the eternal resting-place for your soul.

Do you have idols? Your business? Your family? A position of leadership in the community? What about a commitment to political correctness? Animal rights? A favorite sports team? A hobby? A boat or RV or cabin by the lake? What consumes your time and energy and resources? What guides you in distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable behavior? If your answer is anything other than God and His Son Jesus Christ, I urge you to consider carefully if you have an idol in your life.

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