Thought for the Day

Confronting our Idols:

2 Kings 17:33 & 41
“They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols.”

“Could it be that we are serving our own gods, though we sit on the front row of church? Do we claim the Bible as our source of truth while our real counselors come from movie screens and magazines? Perhaps so many of our struggles-lack of freedom, loss of spiritual desire, slavery to image, perfectionism, confusion, and infinitely more possibilities-have much to do with false idols.”
–No Other Gods by Kelly Minter

Who are we listening to? Where are we going for advice, comfort, and reassurance? We sit back and say that we want to grow closer and deeper with God, but we fill our lives, and yes, our hearts, with false gods. We fill our lives with boy after boy, and girl after girl, and toy after toy. We look to the TV, books, magazines, movie stars, singers, etc. to find what we should be, look like, sound like, what we should wear, even who our friends should be. We are trying to keep up with everyone else. When, in truth, we are supposed to focus ourselves on our Father. The one true creator. The one who made us who we are for a specific reason. Why do we want to be what everyone else tells us we should be? We have lost sight of what really matters. You say you have lost your first love, that wonderful, euphoric feeling you had when you fist fell in love with God. When, in fact, you haven’t lost it, you left it. We play church and play at being put together, when we don’t have anything together. How long will we let this world conform us? When are we going to stand up and say “No More!” I will be who He wants me to be, I will go where He wants me to go, I will do what He wants me to do, and I will say what He wants me to say. Examine your spiritual walk with the Almighty. Have you even looked at Him today? He is the Great I Am and so worthy to be praised. Have we neglected Him? He will NEVER neglect us. Stop trying to be what everyone wants you to be and start finding out what He wants you to be. He gave you the manual. “The Complete Guide to Life for Dummies” We have edged God out of our lives. We have left Him with little room in our hearts. Our false gods have taken up our most treasured spaces, leaving little room for God to show Himself strong on our behalf. We say “God reveal yourself to us”, or “Start a fire in me, Lord”, but yet, we are still holding on to all of the junk that gets in the way of a deeper relationship with Him. We have to talk with him daily, no, not daily, every second of everyday. We should be so saturated with Him that we won’t even take one step without consulting Him first. How do we confront our idols? We find out just what it is that is taking time away from our relationship with Jesus. If we would rather watch TV than spend time in the Word, then maybe that’s an idol. If we go to other people for advice before seeking out direction from the Holy Spirit, then we need to reevaluate that. If we look at outward appearance to see our beauty, then we have allowed our vanity to become an idol. (Not that you aren’t to take care with your appearance, but we should know that we are beautiful because we were made in the image of God).

"Mirror" by Barlow Girl

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Have I got it?
'Cause Mirror you've always told me who I am
I'm finding it's not easy to be perfect
So sorry you won't define me
Sorry you don't own me

Who are you to tell me
That I'm less than what I should be?
Who are you? Who are you?
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, I won't try

Mirror I am seeing a new reflection
I'm looking into the eyes of He who made me
And to Him I have beauty beyond compare
I know He defines me

Who are you to tell me
That I'm less than what I should be?
Who are you? Who are you?
I don't need to listen
To the list of things I should do
I won't try, I won't try

You don't define me, you don't define me
I will leave you with this:
Daniel 1:8a
“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine…”

Daniel refused to conform to those around him. In Daniel chapter 1, we read that Daniel refused to defile himself by sitting at the king’s table and eat. In her commentary on Daniel, scholar Joyce Baldwin says that by Eastern standard to share a meal was to commit oneself to friendship. Sharing a meal was of covenant significance. Daniel would not commit to a friendship with the king because the king did not serve God.

Whose table are you dining at?