SIX THINGS THAT OFTEN BECOME IDOLS- PART 1

Exodus 20:2-5 says you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me. Idolatry often sounds like an ancient sin, we normally think it was for the primitive people who carved images for themselves and offered worship. However there are several ways in which we idea worship in the 21^st century. In fact I would argue that we are the most idolatrous generation in history. There are several things that often take God’s place in our world today and some of them are good things.

GADGETS

They say people (men really) do not grow; it’s just their toys that get bigger! And I would add more sophisticated. Gadgets in and of themselves are good. Be it cars, phones, laptops, I pads, cameras and all those dangerous things ladies use to beautify themselves, the list is really endless! All these things make life easier and help us become more efficient. They are meant to serve us and help us. However most times we are enslaved to these gadgets and they become our masters. They become the center of our attention, we spend more money on them than we are willing to offer to God’s work and suddenly it feels like we cannot live without them. Sooner or later we find ourselves obsessed with the latest of everything and the need to update and be ahead of others.

ENTERTAINMENT

I love to be entertained! I mean who doesn't? Either via sports, music or movies there is nothing like good entertainment. The just ended world cup in Brazil was simply glorious! And I must confess it left me a bit depressed. It is however alarming how easily we get griped by different forms of entertainments from that captivating series (Jack Bauer!!!), to the soothing captivating music group and not forgetting sports (yes there is nothing captivating about cricket but for the sake of the weaker brethren ). There are times I seem to be way more devoted to my entertainment than I am to my God, I will sacrifice my money, my time and even my energy just to get the desired entertainment. If only we were ready to give the same level of sacrifice to the work God.

MONEY

The love of money is the root of all evil the bible says. There is nothing wrong with making money and working hard to make money, in fact the bible urges us to work hard and invest wisely. The problem comes in when that is all you live for. It is worrying how people’s joy and happiness is determined by how much money they are making, when the money dries up the joy is sucked out of them. Success is equated to how much you make and the size of your bank account. It is no wonder that rich people turn to be the hardest people to reach out to cause money is their god. The Lord warned that you cannot serve money and God. You will love one and disregard the other. It is sad to see people make career decision solely based on how much they will make even at the expense of their spiritual well-being.