Do you remember the exodus in the Bible when God rescued the Israelites from the Egyptians? After years of captivity, he was setting them free. There were plagues and chases and a miraculous parting of the Red Sea. It was quite an adventure. In their hasty escape, they grabbed all the gold and silver they could carry for the journey ahead. The people were finally free, yet quickly they began to grumble because they weren’t yet in the promised land. They were in a state of uncertainty and needed to trust God. God had provided and was continuing to provide but they were uncomfortable with the unknown. As Moses went to meet with God and receive the ten commandments, the people got busy making a golden calf to worship while they waited. And what did they use to make that idol? The precious metals God had blessed them with as they were freed from captivity were the exact things they used to create the golden calf.
How often do we make idols out of our blessings from God? Money, homes, cars, people, food, status, comfort… any of these things can turn into idols if we’re not careful. When we value the created more than the Creator, we likely have made an idol out of something.
We are created to worship, but we have a choice of what we’ll worship. Will we chose God or something else? He is the only one worthy of our worship. He’s the only one that will fulfill our longings, needs, and desires. He’s the only one that loves us completely and perfectly.
Is food an idol in your life? Only you can answer that. Signs that it might be include reliance on food to numb our emotions, or soothe us, or entertain us or give us pleasure. It might be that we can’t say no to dessert or to one more round of chips. It might be an idol if we outright refuse to make changes that would improve our health. I pray that we’ll ask God to examine our hearts and reveal areas that are not honoring to him. Then choose to worship him as he restores and heals. He is always worth the effort and the peace and joy he bestows on those who seek him is beyond anything we can imagine. Be brave enough to invite him to every area of your life.
Lord, Examine my heart. Show me ways that I place other things above you. Give me a desire for you and your best and give me a desire to worship you alone. Strengthen me and equip me to honor you with my thoughts and actions. In Jesus’ name I ask, amen.
Comments