American Idols

Scheduled Reading for (Click here)
Friday, August 13, 2010
Ezra 6:1-7:28; Psalm 97:7-12; Proverbs 20:10-11; Acts 28:1-22

Selected Passage: Psalm 97

Aren't you glad that idolatry is a thing of the past. Well, American Idol not-withstanding... Today, we are better educated and much too civilized for such non-sense. The thought of enlightened people such as ourselves bowing down to a statue or figurine made of our own hands is laughable, strange, foreign, and incomprehensible. 

I am left wondering what is the big appeal of an idol anyway? Most were made of gold or wood. Their worshipers called out to them and sacrificed to them in an effort to gain their favor in hopes of good fortune, success, wealth, and health. Why would they think that such things can be provided from an inanimate object that someone made with their own two hands? Curious. Very curious, indeed.

Indeed, today, in our enlightened and diverse society, we realize that we can rely on our own ingenuity and creativity to solve our own problems. We are proud of our ability to earn our way to good fortune, success & wealth. Advances in our medical care have allowed us to enjoy a good quality of life unrivaled to any other time in history. Our children lack for nothing their hearts desire. We have the power to earn an income to achieve whatever standard of living we desire for ourselves and our children.

And just to be safe, we have inscribed on our money "In God We Trust" just in case we are tempted to make money our god. We can be proud of our achievements. Who needs a god when we can be so self-reliant.

Oh... wait... we do. Except He is the One True God. Almighty God. Who IS and WAS and IS TO COME.

Our pride and self-reliance; our children and our careers; our status symbols and our livelihoods can all become our gods - those things we turn to to ensure our good fortune, success, wealth, and health. When we rely on those things that we can see, touch, feel, interact with or manipulate to ensure acquisition of the things we seek, we become foolish idolaters. Very foolish indeed.