“All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!” (Psalm 97:7 NIV)
Worshipping the wrong thing will put you to shame. I’ve heard different pastors use this to emphasize what we worship. If you want to know what you’re worshipping, look at your calendar and checkbook. Where your time and money goes is an indication of what you worship. If your time and money are going to the wrong place, you’ll be put to shame. When you worship the wrong thing, you’ll be put to shame.
When you worship the wrong thing, you’ll be put to shame.
As I asked God where He wanted me to go with today’s devotional, He led me to this article: “The Top 7 Idols in America.” The article says that we in America are “polytheist,” we have many gods other than the One true God. The top 7 idols, in inverse order: National Security, Money, riches and wealth, Guns, Automobiles, Fame and Celebrity, Collegiate sports, and number 1: Professional sports. If you compare your calendar and checkbook to these seven things, what does it tell you?
I immediately thought of my love of tennis. I thought of all of the money I’ve spent on equipment for playing tennis. The clothes I’ve bought for tennis. And I thought about the money we’ve spent going to professional tournaments. We saved for an entire year to spend one week in New York with my niece at the U.S. Open. You would see those things in my calendar and checkbook. I am in the number 1 category of idol worshipers.
We are allowed to have other things in our lives. I can love God and still love tennis. The important question is: Who comes first, God or tennis? If tennis is coming before my love of God, then I have a problem. But if God is first, tennis becomes an opportunity to share my love for Him with those I’m playing tennis. God has used tennis to grow me in ways I never would otherwise. I’ve learned that my actions impact the actions of those around me. I’ve learned body language is a language. I thought if I didn’t say what I was thinking, I was fine. But the truth is, our bodies say what we’re thinking, even if we don’t voice the words. I’ve learned I can hurt people deeply with my body language. Each time I step on the court, God teaches me a lesson. And those lessons help me love people better.
When you look at your calendar and checkbook and compare it to the top 7 idols, don’t berate yourself. Simply ask yourself this question: Who comes first, God or whatever? Then let God lead you from there.
Question of the Day:
Who comes first in your life, God or someone/thing else?
Further Reading: Judges 7:1-8:17 NIV, Luke 23:13-43 NIV, Psalm 97:1-98:9 NIV, Proverbs 14:7-8 NIV
