Idly Worshiping Idols
One of my favorite movies is Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
If you've seen the movie (and really, who hasn't), it starts with Indiana Jones navigating a booby trapped cave in search of a pagan golden idol. After surviving spears, pits and even a rolling rock he must flee from, he makes it out of the cave with the idol in hand, only to have to turn it over to a rival who has recruited the local, native population to surround him.
Yes, I know it's just a movie. But in our society and culture today, we're still chasing after idols. We may not have to plow through bobby trapped caves, fight off spiders and snakes, or even run from a giant rock intent on squishing us flat, but we chase after idols nonetheless.
Don't believe me? Let's look at few statistics.
The average American spends 8 hours a week playing video games. We spend anywhere between 13-18 hours a week on the Internet. (Including you, right now, since you're reading this online.) We spend 31 hours a week (just over four hours a day) watching television.
Yet, studies show the average American spends just 10 minutes a day in prayer. That's barely over one hour a week.
Do we have idols today?
Last year, $2.1 BILLION was spent on NFL merchandise. That doesn't count tickets or cable packages. That's just T-shirts, caps, sweatshirts, key chains, license plates and a myriad of other things. $2.1 billion worth.
Yet, one study says five percent of believers tithe.
Do we have idols today?
An idol is simply anything that gets in the way of our worshp of God. It's something we worship instead of God. It's hard to argue against the fact that in America today we worship a whole lot of ungodly things: money, careers, cars, fame, celebrity and titles, just to name a few.
Are those things bad? Not by themselves. But if we spend more time in the pursuit of them instead of our pursuit of God, then yes, they become idols to us.
We need to stop worshipping things that are not worthy of worship. It's a lot easier said than done, but remember the second commandment: You shall not make idols. Unfortunately, we've done plenty of that.
The cool thing about God, though, is he's forgiving and willing to restore us if we confess and repent. Let's stop worshipping idols. Let's return to worshipping Jesus.
If you've seen the movie (and really, who hasn't), it starts with Indiana Jones navigating a booby trapped cave in search of a pagan golden idol. After surviving spears, pits and even a rolling rock he must flee from, he makes it out of the cave with the idol in hand, only to have to turn it over to a rival who has recruited the local, native population to surround him.
Yes, I know it's just a movie. But in our society and culture today, we're still chasing after idols. We may not have to plow through bobby trapped caves, fight off spiders and snakes, or even run from a giant rock intent on squishing us flat, but we chase after idols nonetheless.
Don't believe me? Let's look at few statistics.
The average American spends 8 hours a week playing video games. We spend anywhere between 13-18 hours a week on the Internet. (Including you, right now, since you're reading this online.) We spend 31 hours a week (just over four hours a day) watching television.
Yet, studies show the average American spends just 10 minutes a day in prayer. That's barely over one hour a week.
Do we have idols today?
Last year, $2.1 BILLION was spent on NFL merchandise. That doesn't count tickets or cable packages. That's just T-shirts, caps, sweatshirts, key chains, license plates and a myriad of other things. $2.1 billion worth.
Yet, one study says five percent of believers tithe.
Do we have idols today?
An idol is simply anything that gets in the way of our worshp of God. It's something we worship instead of God. It's hard to argue against the fact that in America today we worship a whole lot of ungodly things: money, careers, cars, fame, celebrity and titles, just to name a few.
Are those things bad? Not by themselves. But if we spend more time in the pursuit of them instead of our pursuit of God, then yes, they become idols to us.
We need to stop worshipping things that are not worthy of worship. It's a lot easier said than done, but remember the second commandment: You shall not make idols. Unfortunately, we've done plenty of that.
The cool thing about God, though, is he's forgiving and willing to restore us if we confess and repent. Let's stop worshipping idols. Let's return to worshipping Jesus.
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