Today’s Reading, Leviticus 26-27
Focal Scripture: Leviticus 26:1 ““Do not make worthless idols for yourselves, set up a carved image or sacred pillar for yourselves, or place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.”
Idols. We all have them in our lives. The problem that we face, is the belief that all idols are intrinsically bad from the beginning. Let me give you an example so you can follow where I am going with this illustration. I know of many people who have turned their children into idols in their life. The children are not the problem in the parent’s life. The problem arises from the adults who make the children more important than anything else. Idols can come from anywhere when they are the source of our life and our worship.
In today’s reading we see the Lord address idols in the life of the Israelites. God tells them to not make worthless idols in their life. To not set up a carved image, pillar or stone to bow down to in their daily comings and goings. Why? Because this violates worship. This violates biblical standards of making anything more important than God in the life of a believer. God does not want his people to have a divided heart. He also does not want his people to worship anything else other than him.
So what about you? Do you have any worthless idols in your life? Do you have anything that is more important than the Lord? For believers today, I have seen the following idols.
- Career
- Family
- Leisure Activities
- Sports
- Pursuit of Money
- Relationships
This is not an exhaustive list but a list we all must navigate to make sure idols are not part of our daily routine. Idols want our hearts to be focused on them more than the Lord.
I ask you today to remove all idols from your heart. It doesn’t mean you can’t care about other areas in your life but they can’t be the most important. For instance, I love my son. I want the best for him. I want to spend time with him and see him succeed. However, he can’t be my main priority. He can’t occupy the throne of my heart. He can’t be worshipped or bowed down to for any reason. The only worship and idol I can have in my heart is King Jesus. He is all that matters.
Know your idols. Submit them to the Lord. Be obedient to true biblical worship. Have a heart that is obedient to the Lord in every aspect of your life.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Numbers 1-2
