America's Idol

One of us had to go there right? I mean the topic this week is "Idols" and it just so happens to fall right after the finale of one of the most popular shows on tv. A coincidence? Maybe, but in all reality, Americans have become obsessed with this show. So much so, that we plan our schedules around the Tuesday/Wednesday night airing and love to gather around the perverbial water cooler the next day to debate who sang the best, who looked the best and what was the rudest thing Simon said. As Americans we tend to throw the world "idol" around very easily. We use it for sports figures, musicians, tv personalities, etc,...As christians we have to be very careful that we don't cross the line between admiration and appreciation for their God given talents and idol worship of the people themselves. God is the ONLY one who deserves our worship.

I see an idol as anything that occupies a place in our esteem and affections, in our thoughts, words and ways, in our dependence and reliance, in our worship and devotedness, which is due to God only. God takes idol worship very seriously. So much so that it made the TOP TEN (the 10 Commandments). It falls in as number two...numero dos...
"You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I The Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My Commandments."

Our God is a jealous God. He designed us to WORSHIP him and him alone. As a result, the human heart is only satisfied if it accomplishes what it was created to do...WORSHIP God. Unfortunately, we often search for substitues for his love and exchange our God for wordly idols. We look for the momentary happiness in things of this world, but only God can satisfy our needs. Created things can never be a subsititute for him. "Our souls are restless until they find rest in God," said Augustine. Only God can satisfy.

Wouldn't it be great if God became America's Idol. If all the time we spent watching the show we put into reading his word... and instead of talking about the idols around the water cooler we talked about God and his great love for us. What a different world this would be.