When is the last time an idol or “foreign god” interfered with your faith?
When the Bible talks about idols and idol worship, few Christians can relate. We may think of a passage like 1st Samuel 7:3 (“If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to Lord and serve him only . . .”) as little more than a history lesson.
But, as a seminary professor of mine once shared, “If the Lord tarries, some day there will be archaeological excavations of our western civilization. And when they find evidence of a television or computer screen in each dwelling, they’ll believe they’ve found our personal gods–personal idols, like we are finding today in the east!”
What do you think? Have our homes been invaded by foreign gods who get the best of our time, energy, and devotion?
The day I decided to stop letting the media control my life, I experienced something rare and wonderful. While walking in my yard, a bald eagle flew about fifty feet over my head–something I’d never seen before. Being that close made the experience all the more special. If I’d had my head down–eyes preoccupied with my iPhone–I would have missed this rare moment!
Whether or not this experience was a sign from God, I was reminded that when we are not entangled by earthly stuff, we can enjoy the beauty that it is for our enjoyment. We must simply begin to look up again.
