by Ryan Campbell
Hey! It’s been a while, here’s a little devotion for you all!
I was just thinking about the Israelites and how they have a bit of history with worshipping idols! Hopefully everyone knows at least a bit about this. If you don’t....get reading exodus!
Exodus 32:4-6 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!”5Aaron 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!”6The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.
So when was the last time you decided to make your own God out of Gold or wood? Hopefully never! How about the last time you carved out time for your favourite band, sport, the internet, shopping or even T.V? Well that’s ok!
However idolatry does happen today. The surprising thing is that it could be in your life and you don’t even realise. You probably don’t actually know people who get on their knees and worship statues, but anyone who gives excessive devotion to something besides God is worshipping an idol.
Worship usually involves a few things; Admiration, public expression and service. Who or what do you admire? Is it worth admiring? What are you excited to tell people about? How do you spend most of your time? How long have you spent on Facebook or watching T.V this week? Are you getting a wee bit too excited about the fact that a celebrity is now following you on twitter?
Is there anything in your life that you would consider an idol, something apart from God that dominates your admiration, expression and service? Is God your one and only?
Take some time today to sit down and think about what you could be tempted to idolize in your life. Don’t get me wrong, you’re allowed to have hobbies and enjoy different things, but are they controlling you? Do they dictate your time and energy?
Thank God for allowing you to enjoy those things in your life but let’s commit to making him number one.
Let’s worship the one who carries us and not the things we can carry!
