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'Food for Thought' is the free monthly, Bible-based meal for individual digestion or group feasting; a work of the Holy Spirit.

February 2023 - IDOLS!
"All those who make idols are worthless, and the gods they prize so highly are useless. Those who worship these gods are blind and ignorant..." (Isaiah 44:9 GNB/TEV).

Reading: Isaiah 44:9-20.

This passage from Isaiah 44 which ridicules idolatry always makes me chuckle when I read it. The notion of a man using one part of a tree to make a fire to cook a meal on, and using another part of the same tree to make a god to save him, is absurd. Yet many nations practiced such idolatry in Old Testament times, and even God's people were drawn into worshipping idols. "They made a gold bull at Sinai and worshiped that idol; they exchanged the glory of God for the image of an animal that eats grass" (Psalm 106:19-20 GNB/TEV).

We might wonder how the Israelites could do such a thing - we know better than to make a god from wood or metal and expect it to save us! But idolatry is not just about making lifeless objects and worshipping them. Read Psalms 91:1-2; 135:15-18. Idolatry is also about TRUSTING in something or someone other than the Lord God Almighty. Consider the following "idols":

* Money and possessions. Read 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 17. Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6:24). Apostle Paul stated that greed is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

* Science. An acquaintance told us that she puts her trust in science, not God; she believes science will solve the world's problems. What about us? When we are sick, do we turn to God first, or medical science? Is asking God for healing our first thought, or our last resort?

* The Government. Earthly authorities exist only because God permits them to exist. They serve God's purposes (whether they know it or not), and we are commanded to respect them, obey them, and pay our taxes (Romans 13:1-7). God, however, is the supreme authority, and we must put our trust in him, not in the Government. There may be times when we have to disobey the authorities because they order us to do something contrary to what God wants. Read Daniel 3:8-18, 6:6-13; Acts 4:18-20. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matthew 22:21b NIV).

* Yourself. Read Psalm 49:13-14. "A person can never redeem himself; he cannot pay God the price for his life, because the payment for a human life is too great. What he could pay would never be enough to keep him from the grave, to let him live forever" (Psalm 49:7-9 GNB/TEV). "...arrogance is as sinful as idolatry" (1 Samuel 15:23a GNB/TEV).

* Your church or creed. Yes, we can put our church or creed above God. We attended a church when we were newly married (many years ago!) which encouraged its members to go out into the neighborhood and convert people. But not convert just anyone to Christ by preaching the gospel - we were told to target "churched" people and convince them they were going to the wrong church. That particular church was held up as the only correct church, and therefore one had to be a member of it to be saved. And sadly, there are many other churches with different creeds that claim the same thing. If we trust that we are saved because we are members of a particular church, then that church has become an idol.

* A human. This may be a religious leader (for example, a pastor, priest or preacher) or a film star, music idol, sports person, etc. When I (Margaret) was a teenager, I idolized certain film stars. I had pictures of them in my wardrobe, watched all their TV shows/movies, read everything I could find about them, and adopted some of their beliefs and practices. Most of my friends idolized pop music stars. Fortunately, I grew up and got rid of those idols. But we can follow religious leaders and not realize that we have put our trust in them rather than in God; we follow their beliefs and practices. The Scriptures warn us about teachers who tell people what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4), false teachers who bring in destructive, untrue doctrines (2 Peter 2:1-3), religious leaders who are hypocrites (Matthew 23:27-28), and shepherds (pastors) who are only interested in themselves and do not take care of God's flock (Ezekiel 34:1-4; John 10:11-13). If we idolize other humans and put our trust in them, we will be disappointed. We may even lose our salvation.

"Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry" (1 Corinthians 10:14 NIV), because "...the Lord your God is like a flaming fire; he tolerates no rivals" (Deuteronomy 4:24 GNB/TEV).

Closing Prayer:
"Teach me your ways, O Lord;
make them known to me.
Teach me to live according to your truth,
for you are my God, who saves me.
I always trust in you" (Psalm 25:4-5 GNB/TEV).

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