Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58

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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Day 36: "Household Gods"

Zechariah 10:2-- Household gods give worthless advice. fortune tellers predict only lies, and interpreter of dreams pronoucne falsehoods that give no comfort.  So my people are wandering like lost sheep.  They are attacked because they have no shephard.

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What I want to focus on today is "Household gods give worthless advice."

Even Christians.. even now... can and do have household gods.  We shouldn't.  God states pretty clear that He's our one and only... but still, sometimes we make our own Ba-als.

What can be a household god?

Well........
*money (if you love it more than anything else)
*power
*fame
*success
*Anything that you put above your time with God (computer, games, tv, hobbies, etc).

Anything that we expect will give us happiness--- that isn't the one God we are supposed to trust above all things-- is a household god.

It doesn't have to be pretty, shiny, gold, or silver to be a "god" or an "idol".

We have all done it.  I'm sure we don't even realize it at the time until we look back and go "WHOA!"  I can reflect and think of 1 or 2 things that I've put before my time with God recently. 

We have to accept that things won't make us happy.  We can never have enough money, fame, success, or time with our electronics to make us happy.  My Bible Commentary says "Its as silly to pray to a statue for rain as it is to expect money to make you happy."

Why do "Household gods give worthless advice"?
*Because household gods give NO advice.  Does your computer talk back to you (well, it can, but you get the idea)?  Does your fishing pole answer your prayers?  Do you seek above all else time with your game console--- and base your happiness on it?  Can having all the money in the world advise you on the ways of the heart and God?

It's easy to judge Israel.  They had a lot of statue 'gods'.  They never truly learned their lesson... but don't we do the same thing-- just in a different form?

The good news is that God forgave Israel (numerous times), and God will forgive us :)  It's something I never really thought about until today. How about you?  What "household gods" to you have?  How can you turn your focus away from them and back on God?

God Bless You!

Kelly

4 comments:

  1. Hi Kelly - I have a feeling this is a very timely post for me to read.
    God bless
    Tracy

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  2. Lol, I think it was for a lot of people... including me. God tends to time things just right :) Have a great day!

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  3. Great post and I'm totally convicted in a good way though.
    Jules

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  4. I was too when God gave it to me lol. Plus the preacher preacher talked about it at church today. So I got a good double dose lol. You're right though... in a good way :)

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