Read Exodus 20:4-6

The term “Idol” isn’t a word we use much. When I hear it, it brings to my mind the scenes from movies where drunken people were dancing around statues of animals doing all kinds of crazy things.

Growing up the term “teen idols” was bestowed on an actor named James Dean and the rock and roll singer, Elvis.  All the young men would slick their hair back, wear leather jackets, ride motorcycles, and drive their cars dangerously fast. They would throw caution to the wind and do ANYTHING, no matter how foolish to be “cool” just like their “idols”.

You might be thinking “I would never do that” but, I can name at least three things that can easily become your “idol,” take over your life, make you turn your back on God and His commandments, make you do foolish things that you normally wouldn’t do and they are right in your house.   

Three of the strongest idols everyone has in their homes are their wallets, cell phones, and bathroom mirrors.

How can that be? What’s in your wallets, the balances in bank accounts, and limits on credit cards have been known to ruin lives, families, and marriages,

People spend hours at work chasing the “almighty dollar” instead of seeking what the true Almighty wants them to do, often ignoring their precious God given families and friends.

The ping of the cell phone is like a “call to worship” and people will drop what they are doing, the conversations they are having, their children’s games, church services to “answer the call” of their idol!

And who can resist the lure of the bathroom mirror? Looking into the mirror to check your stray hair etc. is not the problem.  But when we let the mirror “tell us” that we are not good enough, not pretty enough, not handsome enough, too fat, too thin or we are anything other than what God designed us to be it becomes our master, our idol.  

When we can’t resist stopping to look every time we pass it and it possibly causes us to do foolish things, it is our idol.  

Is that the graven image you listen to, worship and seek?

When are you going to quit answering the call of the “idols” around you?  God says that He is a jealous God and nothing should come between you and Him. That includes anything that can distract you from Him.  

God WANTS you! 

He wants to spend quality time with you, not just a quick praying hands emoji when someone asks for prayer on Facebook or a “Thank God!” when you get a wanted answer to a prayer.

Is it time for you to take an assessment of your life and the things around you?  What or who are you letting influence you?  What has your undivided attention? What is your God?

Choose wisely!

Pat Arnold