I got to thinking the other day. I know what you are going to say: “Mark, it is dangerous when you do that!” Okay, you are right! But I do enjoy processing things.
Idols Are More than Just Idols
I was thinking about idols and the things that can be considered idols in our lives.
The word idol shows up 119 times in different forms in your King James Bible. That is a lot of times! The easy part to figure out is this: if it shows up that many times in the Bible, then it must be something that is very important in the eyes of God.
Leviticus 26:1
Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 29:17
And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)
1 Chronicles 10:8-10
And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people.
And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
Yes, idols do become gods in people’s lives. When you bow down and worship something, it does become a god in your life.
Psalm 106:35-37
But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
Revelation 9:20
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Paying Attention to Idols
Idols are a big deal to God. Seems like they should be a bigger deal to me and to all of us. Yes, I think all of us understand that if we bowed down to a statue of Buddha in our house, it would be an idol. But is it possible for other things to slip into our lives and move right into the idol category without us even realizing it? Or maybe we do realize it, but we don’t really care.
Walk into someone’s house sometime and go into their living room. Which direction are all of the chairs and couches typically angled toward? That is right: the television. We have everything in that room focused on “The Box.” We let “The Box” tell us about life and let it shape our worldview and opinions about how we should think and live.
By the way, how does your living room look? Ever thought about taking the TV out and putting in another couch or something? Then everyone would be looking at each other with only one thing to do: have a fascinating conversation!
Speaking of statues, what about in the religious system of Roman Catholicism? Have you seen all the statues they have? Or medals with saints engraved on them? Catholics pray to various saints to make sure they get a certain favor or blessing from them.
I remember being in a Catholic church on one of the feast days one time. I believe I was in middle school. They had a graven Jesus on a crucifix in front of the congregation. It was very big. They held it out flat in front of the altar. Then each person came up and kissed the feet of Jesus! Even as a young man, I knew something was way, way off. At least they were nice enough to wipe Jesus’s feet before the next person kissed them!
Idols Steal More than Time
The reasoning behind the issue of idols seems simple to me. If an idol takes the kind of preeminence that it wants to take in your life, then that idol will end up becoming a god in your life. I actually think it is that simple.
Have we basically replaced God with another god in our lives? Or have we let other gods encroach on the time that we spend with the Most High God?
What got me thinking about what is likely the main idol in most people’s lives is the following article. Don’t waste your time reading it; I’ll give you a little highlight. https://www.outkick.com/shams-charania-daily-schedule-nba-insider/
One of the NBA’s “go- to” sportswriters, who knows what is going on is Shams Charania. He always has the latest scoop. Why does he have the latest scoop? Here is the reason why:
Charania sends around 500 text messages and emails during his 18-hour workday. Add that up with the inevitable time he spends on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Charania has to be spending an unfathomable amount of time staring at a screen.
He also missed a huge coaching scoop earlier in his career while playing pick-up basketball, so he’s shunned himself from playing.
Don’t worry though; he does cut back to just 12-hour work days when he’s ‘on vacation’ with his cell phone glued to his hand.
No, no, no, and a 1000 times no! Okay, make that 500 times no! What a fascinating way to waste your life. Think about the umpteen hours one would spend staring at their phone to send that many texts each day.
We all get a Judgment Day. Does someone really want to stand in front of God after having spent such a large portion their life texting other people? How much does this man read the Bible? Texting will not be an excuse when he stands in front of God. If he is saved, how much time is he spending witnessing? How much time is he spending with his family? Be careful. A “good” excuse down here may not play well on the other side.
I heard a pastor say yesterday that the average American looks at their cellphone 160 times a day. He also said that the average American has 26 different subscriptions. Think about the amount of time we are committing to our phones and the subscriptions we have.
A guy at the bank asked me to pull out my phone so he could send me something. I let him know I didn’t have it with me and that I had left it at home on purpose. I explained that I didn’t want it to run my life. He was semi flabbergasted by my response.
More Similar than We Think
Do any of you remember the days when there weren’t any cellphones? Are those days what we now call the “good ole days”?!
But what finally hit me one day as I was thinking about people and their phones was we do with them. We pick them up, pull them toward our faces, and then we bow to them. That is correct. We bow to them and start worshiping our god.
And not only do we bow down to them, but we are reverent and quiet as we worship. We don’t want our worship to be disturbed. And one way to make sure we aren’t interrupted is by putting air pods in our ears, so no one can interrupt our worship experience.
Living without Them
I was out witnessing at a Dave Chappelle concert on Halloween when I noticed something different. The venue was locking up everyone’s phones before they entered the event.
A company called YONDR makes phone pouches that lock phones while people watch the show. Then the phones are unlocked at a station before they leave. Mr. Chappelle didn’t want anyone recording his comedy routine and posting it online, so this was his solution to prevent that from happening.
What is the longest time you have been away from your phone? Is it time to put it in a pouch or lock it up somewhere to get away from it? Is it stealing away your Bible-reading and witnessing time? Are we letting the things of the world lead us and not the things of God?
Just some thoughts. If you decide to pick up an idol today and bow to it, that is your choice. But please don’t kiss it unless there is a picture of your spouse or kids on it!
Until the nets are full,
P.S. Remember, the holiday season is a great time to give someone some literature to read. Booklets are an easy way to get someone reading and thinking more about eternal matters. Since inflation is kind of nutty, lets knock down the suggested donation for the booklets by 20%. Have fun planting seeds for the Lord every day of your life!
