Modern Idols

Idolatry.  This is something I think everybody has struggled with, sometimes not even realizing we are struggling with this.  Often when we think of idols, we put it off as those gold statues that people worshipped.  But God had a much different view on what an idol is.  In fact, he says:

Exodus 20:3-4

You shall have no other gods before me.  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.

Since August, Wes and I have been living without things we would have called “necessities” before.  To save some money we decided that we did not truly need cable or internet (except that at the local library or school).  At first, it was hard as so often after a hard day of work we would want to sit and watch a TV show.  But now, I’m quite glad we decided against it.  Why?  It has helped me realize that that stuff is all just earthly possessions and won’t last long, and allowed me to grow closer to God in many regards.

That being said... I still struggle with putting things before God.  For me, school and work are often put before God.  Don’t get me wrong, it is okay to work hard, but often I find myself skipping out on my time with God because I have a test the next day, or taking extra shifts at work when I should be at church.  You know that saying that “time is money”?   Well, in a way it is like I tend to take this “money” and put it into stuff that is not as important and won’t help further the Kingdom of God.    

Christmas may actually be the worst time for this idea of putting other idols before God.  Christmas morning after we open our gifts and have our turkey, often we go and play with our new toys. We often forget why we celebrate Christmas and put the family, presents and food before the celebration of Jesus.  

Idols can come in many forms, school, work, beauty (how often do we put more time into getting ready for the day physically then we do spiritually?), materialistic things, money.... the list goes on and on.  Yes, we may not bow to idols made of gold, but are we bowing down to anything other than God?  Just a thought...