Today's Idol

For the past couple of weeks, at church, idols have been discussed. 

Some idols in scripture:

Moses and the golden calf

📖 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”  Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Exodus 32:1-4

Elijah and Baal

📖 Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.  Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”  With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed.  He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” 1 Kings 18:26-39

What are our idols? Well that is easy...I don't have any! I don't have a golden statue in my yard or house!

Hmmmm, but what might be a bit shiny or glittery that catches our attention more than that Bible sitting there... or distracts us before we take the time to spend with Jesus?

What have we allowed to take space in our day or even our heart while we have waited on the Lord?

Many speak of technology and how we begin our days with the phone, or tablet, or television. But in today's world those may be our access to spending time with the Lord. That can be good, but is that the page, the app, the channel, we go to FIRST?

I would dare say the worst idol many may have today...and it basically was the same in Moses time...is/was "self". 

We want gratification now, we are obsessed with how our outward bodies look. We want to feel comfortable and happy all the time. We don't want things to be difficult or messy. So many walk away from relationships because it is difficult, it doesn't make ME happy, why should it be so hard?

Everything becomes about ME and how I feel, how I look, how things affect ME.

Even in churches; 'That message didn't make me feel.good". "I don't like the music." "The people that sit over there annoy me."

We want to be soothed, coddled and our egos stroked. 

Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself, because He knows that we place ourselves in high regard."

📖  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

Paul reminded us to have the attitude of Jesus; not to look to our own needs but the needs of others

📖 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,  not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:3-11

📖  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

🙏🏼Dear Lord, if we, who call ourselves followers of Christ, can humble our hearts before You, can fall to our knees in prayer and seek You and Your will and purpose and in repentance, ask for Your forgiveness we trust You will show us any "idols" that stand in the way of fully worshipping You. 

We want our attitude and heart to be like Christ, so we see others as You do; with love, mercy, grace, and compassion.  We will see Your might and strength and say, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

❤️