In the Bible, an idol is an image/likeness/statue of a human or animal, crafted by human hands, that people worship.
It is easy to find passages condemning idol worship in the Bible. It is one of the most common themes in the Bible, and it is even one of the 10 commandments. Most Christians know this, and are therefore careful to have no such images or statues in their possession. These days, it seems like it’s pretty easy to keep this commandment, right? All I have to do is *not* worship a carved bull? Piece of cake.
Or is it?
The problem comes when we look up the definition of the word “worship”.
1. To honor or show reverence for, as a divine being or supernatural power
2. To regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
Hang on…. To regard with great devotion? What are some things you regard with great devotion? A favorite tv show? Instagram? A celebrity? A president? All of a sudden, we are standing on sinking ground. In this modern age, traditional idol worship, in the sense of bowing down to a statue, is relatively uncommon, or at least easy to avoid. But if an idol is anything other than God that we worship, suddenly we are in trouble. These days, people worship (show devotion to) all kinds of ungodly things:
- Money
- Fame
- Facebook likes
- Sports teams (bonus: this one often comes with ungodly superstitions!)
- Celebrities
- TV
- Politicians/political parties
- Cars/luxury items
- Billionaires
- Careers
- Military power
- If you stop and think about it, *anything* you place above God in your list of priorities is an idol
Anything.
What does your priorities list look like? If you want an honest description of your priorities, look into what you spend your time doing. (Spare time, outside of work, technically.)
How much of your time are you doing *Godly* activities, like praying, reading the Bible, or spending quality time with friends/family? And how much of your time is spent doomscrolling? Or watching TV?
Scary, right? Are you convicted yet?
Don’t panic. Repent. Renounce (turn away). Change your daily routine, and make it more God-centered. When you get your priorities straight and delete idol worship from your life, watch for blessings to flow freely into your life.