Friday, February 17, 2012

American Idol


In our training we have been discussing idolatry. Anything that exercises control over our lives can become an idol. The idol starts to say “you need me, I will make you happy.”
What are our idols……..money, football, homes, jobs, cars, movie stars, success and on and on.  Christian Artist Toby Mac says “America now has more superstars, now we call them idols.” 

We can easily become enslaved to our idols. Sure we don’t have carvings of wood or golden calves but we idolize so many things.  How many of us are enslaved to our cell phones?  We carry them everywhere, and if we leave home without it or lose it we panic.  It rings and we have to answer it.  Some of us answer at the most inappropriate times.  We are saying that whatever we are doing or whomever we are interacting with is less important that our idol cell phone. We have special ring tones for calls, a special one for texts, we even have vibrate so as not to “disturb” those around us. We stand in long lines to get the newest model and we compare our idol cell phone with everyone else.   I mention this not to say that cell phones are bad, but to show how easily we submit to our idols.

Upon cell examination I was very guilty of this as well.  How many other idols do we have?  We were challenged in class to make a list of our own personal idols.  The teacher challenged us to come up with 50.  I stopped at 20, not because I was out of things to write down, but I stopped out of self preservation of my own feelings.
We have to be careful of judging others and their idols until we have self examined our own. "Do not judge others, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judges, and the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2 NIV

My prayer is that I will cast down my idols, focus on God, not judge other and be more accepting.

 "Do not sore up for yourselves treasure on earth, where the moths and the vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21 NIV




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