As good Christian children, lots of us were able to quote the 10 Commandments from an early age. Even the ones of us who didn't spend their childhood inside the walls of the church had probably at least heard of the 10 Commandments, one of which tells us not to have idols. Of all the guidelines given to us, this one is pretty easy to follow.
Or so we thought.
No little wooden statues around the house? Check. Got any golden calves hanging on the walls? Nope. Have we sacrificed to a foreign god lately? If the answer is no, we typically would consider ourselves to be in the clear. When we read the Old Testament and watch the nation of Israel fall for one false god after another, we have a tendency to sneer down our 21st-century nose at them- How could anyone be so weak minded to put their faith in anything short of Yahweh?
How could anyone ever trust something man-made and temporary for their happiness and well being?
How dare they do exactly what we do, but in a slightly different context?
In 1 Kings chapter 18 we see Elijah-- the only remaining prophet of God-- challenge the nation of Israel to stop "limping between two different opinions" and choose who they would follow. In our lives today we could never imagine struggling between out God and Baal, however, we struggle between two different opinions every single day as modern believers. Maybe our gods aren't made of stone, but I would be willing to bet that most of us have an idol with an LCD screen in our pockets most of the time. Or maybe there's that one thing that we just can't give up, but it's okay because no one knows about it? That's an idol. The thing that we want so badly that we'll stop walking with God--just for a minute-- to chase after it? An idol. That person that we would go to the ends of the earth for, yet we can't even get ourselves up to go to church? The things that we would rather do than follow Jesus? Those are our idols. It doesn't matter what they look like, what matters is that they distract our heart from loving the only thing that matters- the God who created us.
Elijah goes on to challenge the worshipers of Baal to get a response from their god. They scream they shout, they cut themselves with swords, but the Bible says "There was no voice. No one paid them attention". How often are we truly any different? We find something outside of who God is that we think will make us truly happy-- and we chase it. Sometimes for a fleeting New York minute, we even enjoy it.
Yet there comes a time when we shout, we scream till our throats are raw, we pour ourselves out, and nothing happens. When we build our lives on anything short of God's Amazing Grace, it is going to crumble beneath us. Every time.
In our own lives, we are often deceived by our own good intentions. Contrary to popular beliefs, idols aren't always made of wood or even all that scary looking. Today, it is not uncommon for our "good things" to become our idols. We see this when we pour into our career, our goals, our significant other more than we're willing to give God.
Maybe we're like the Israelites, "limping between two opinions"; we may think that we're still kind of honoring God, but the truth is that He is Almighty and will not tolerate our half-heartedness. In our busy world of iPhones, iPads, and I-get-what-I-want, we have to set time aside to evaluate our priorities and ask ourselves whether or not what we're doing is glorifying God.
We have to be brave enough to ask our self what it is that motivates to act the way that we do-- if we are motivated to glorify ourselves and entertain our flesh rather than to selflessly serve God, we have an idol.
How important is the Lord, not just on your Sundays, but in your everyday? What idols do you need to tear down in your own life? God has so much more in store for you than "limping between" His will and your own stubbornness.
Psalm 34:18
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
