Today my devotional says… ”Earnestly desire to get alone with God. If we neglect to do so, we not only rob ourselves of a blessing but rob others as well, since we will have no blessing to pass onto them.”
This was a message for me this morning, and I got it loud and clear! See, I’ve been so busy with designing a website for my ebook. I’ve been so preoccupied with getting it all together. My plan for today was to continue the “love series,” but anything I do defeats the whole purpose if I don’t drop everything I’m doing and spend time with God. The greatest command is to love God with all of our hearts, all of our soul, all of our minds, and all of our strength. What spells L-o-v-e more than spending quality time with our Father?
I stopped reading in the book of Isaiah the other day, and reopened it to where my book mark was. I read about how people create their own gods. How absurd it is to make a god from the same tree that gives firewood. Let me share these scripture verses with you…
“How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood and draws a pattern on it. He works with chisel and plane and carves it into a human figure. He gives it human beauty and puts it in a little shrine. He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread. Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship! He makes an idol and bows down in front of it! He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and keep himself warm. He says, ‘Ah, that fire feels good. Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it worshiping and praying to it. ‘Rescue me!’ he says. “You are my god!”
“Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think. The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, ‘Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood? The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, ‘Is this idol that I am holding in my hand a lie?” Isaiah 44: 9, 14-20
Wow. This makes me think of religion—people perform rituals in the name of religion. I’ve asked some people why they perform such rituals, and they honestly don’t know why. The answer I get…”People have been doing this for years, so it must be right.”—How tragic! And yet they cannot bring themselves to ask, “Is this idol I’m holding in my hand a lie?”—just like in verse 20.
And I think about other gods we make—money, fame, power, sports…etc. We deceive ourselves if we expect them to empower or fulfill our lives. By reading this scripture we think of idols as statues made of wood or stone, but in reality an idol is anything natural that is given sacred value and power. If your answer to any of the following questions is anything or anyone other than God, you may need to check out who or what you are worshiping.
• Who created me?
• Whom do I ultimately trust?
• Whom do I look to for security and happiness?
• Whom do I look to for ultimate truth?
• Who is in charge of my future?