“but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back—” 1 King 14:9 NKJV
Last week, I spent countless hours watching TV. Usually a backdrop to some other task, my volume of consumption felt ridiculous. I actually made it a point that I would not watch TV this week given last week’s consumption. A few mornings later I was reading my Bible plan, a plan I must admit that I was scheduled to have finished last year, when I came across this passage. “Oh boy,” I thought, “guilty - TV has unknowingly become my idol.”
When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God gave Moses The Ten Commandments. Out of His loving care for His people, God wanted them to know the do’s and don’ts of being in relationship with Him. The second commandment God instructed Moses was “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) Hundreds of years later, we find that King Jeroboam of Israel like many before him did not listen to God in this specific area.
In Biblical days idols took the form of miniature or large-scale statutes often made of some precious metal and highly decorated. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines an idol as “an object of extreme devotion.” The truth of the matter is we have idols today too. It could be binge watching shows on <insert your favorite streaming services here>, distracting our thoughts by spending lots of time in communication with people, recreational activities, working nonstop, all of which by themselves are not inherently bad. The question is do they have their rightful position juxtaposed to our relationship with God? Or like the King of Israel have we casted God behind our backs?
Some of us are finding ourselves awake during more hours of the day, or maybe you have a little more time on your hands because you’re no longer commuting to work, or it’s not a busy season for you given the pandemic. Chicago journalist, Eric Zorn once said “There’s no sense talking about priorities. Priorities reveal themselves. We’re all transparent against the face of the clock.” How we spend our time -- and money but that’s for another day! -- reveals our priorities. They are modern-day idols because the volume of time we spend engaging in that activity is extreme devotion. Whether reading your Bible, spending time in prayer, engaging in praise and worship, reading Christian literature, meditating on His goodness or His Word, watching sermons, or sharing a testimony of how God got you through to help others overcome, there are many ways to prioritize your relationship with God and keep Him first.
Reflection
What activities are taking up most of my time? How can I shift and be intentional about spending more time with God? Have I deprioritized my time with God and casted Him behind my back? What could I be doing more of in my relationship with God?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the gift of time. Forgive me for using it in ways that don’t honor You. Help me to balance the daily activities of life and my relationship with You. Show me how to keep You first every day in every season of life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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