My Idol Worship

I always see idol worship as something others do. I don’t know a lot of people who have small statues in their home that they worship. I have always thought that worshipping an inanimate object was a bit weird.  I have been challenged and given thought to the idols that might be in my life and they are not little carvings or statues. The idols in my life are anything or anyone who is more important to me than my relationship with God.

I’ve been tracking with Moses and the people of Israel as they came out of Egypt. They are at Mt. Sinai and the Lord is giving Moses lots of instructions about how they are to live, travel and worship as they had toward their promised destination.  Moses is on the mountain with Joshua getting the 10 commandments among other instruction and laws to protect and serve the people. The people approach Aaron for a different kind of worship. Check this out….

³ All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.⁴ Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

⁵ Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!” (Exodus 32:3-5 NLT)

Aaron was led by the people he was supposed to be leading. He caves to the pressure of the people to do something rather stupid given all that they had been through on this journey. It is so easy to forget today what the Lord did for me yesterday and the day before or years ago. My memory needs to be stretched and cultivated to remember the goodness of God that I have been blessed with for years. The world I live in is loud with distractions, new and improved, shiny objects. It’s too easy to take my eyes off of the Lord. Paul reminded us that we often worship things or people created by God instead of the One Who Created all things. Check this out….

 ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ²³ And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. (Romans 1:20-23 NLT)

I’ve got a good list of idols that made my list over the years. They are not a stupid calf, but they are just as frustrating to God.

My family

My job

My friends

My home

My possessions

My position/status

Famous People

I could really make this list much more specific and detailed for sure. I was reminded today that ANYTHING or ANYONE that comes between me and my daily walk with the Lord is an idol of my heart. My daily time with the Lord helps keep my perspective clearer on most days.

Pressing On!

Dwayne