American Idol.....
1“Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. I am the LORD your God. 2You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. Leviticus 26:1
Raise your hand if you are still with me on our Bible reading journey?
Listen, I know it was tough with a capital T to hang on through the book of Leviticus. Goodness gracious with the laws and the sacrifices and the blood....
OH, but y'all. Hang in there with me. All of this points straight to the coming of Jesus.
I wish I could look you in the face and talk to you about all of this. We are right smack in the middle of Joshua boldly leading the troops into the Promised Land.
Is anyone else sad that Moses could not enter the Promised Land? Oh heavens my heart breaks for him. I mean, he was chosen and highly favored, but he acted in disobedience. And, God would not allow him to enter the new land due to it.
Has anyone else noticed how seriously God is about sin and especially idols?
If someone was caught with an idol or anything from the foreigners they were killed on the spot. And their family as well!
This speaks to me about the character of God.
He wants purity in our hearts. Not just in our hearts, but in our bodies and outside of our bodies.
He knows the consequences of sin....
It will ruin the whole camp.
My daughter had a little girl on her team years ago that had a terrible attitude. She was also a bit of a bully. The whole team suffered because of her actions and words. They did not win games, not due to lack of ability, but because this one child was causing so much destruction among her teammates.
It is the same with sin.
One itty bitty piece of sin can ruin the whole of our hearts.
It multiplies.
It doesn't stop until the whole heart and mind are obliterated.
Aren't we thankful for Jesus?
He does wash away our sins, yes. However, we still willingly walk in sin from time to time. Sometimes for years.
We think to ourselves "this is my only vice. surely it is not that big of a deal. everyone has to have something, right?"
And, just like Satan whispered to Eve, "Aww, it's okay. It won't really hurt you."
Satan is a LIAR.
Anything he tells you is a lie. God calls him the father of lies.
So, there's that.
God has not changed, y'all. He still hates sin. He abhors it.
Because, He knows what it does to us, and to our loved ones.
He knows how sin slowly leads a heart astray. Into the black pit of bondage.
And idols.
Oh and aren't we so fond of some idols.
You may think not, but I beg to differ.
I am not much different than you. I can name many idols that have cropped up in my life over the years. Seemingly innocent things, yet determined to distract me just enough that I lose sight of what is important.
Our phones.
Yes, let's go there.
I have loved my phone.
Really, I will admit it.
I love getting texts and email and messages! It makes me happy!
But, here is the problem with phones.
They distract us from the present a lot of the time.
I can hear you saying, "Oh no! Not me! I keep up with people through social media and texting and snapchat and facebook. The phone has been a good thing!"
Yes, it can be good. However, it has an addiction attached to it that few want to admit.
What do you look at when you wake up? Over breakfast? Over lunch? Over dinner? Right before bed?
Most of us look at our phones more than we look into the eyes of our loved ones. Did you know you can check your screen time on your phone? Yep. Go ahead. I will wait while you check.
I was SHOCKED when I saw the hours I had been on my phone in the course of a week.
The more connected we become, the more disconnected we are.
Here is a good way to get an honest answer...
Ask your children or your spouse or your mother if you are on your phone too much.
They will shoot straight with you.
And when they do, try not to be defensive.
We are no different than the Old Testament peeps, you guys.
Just different idols surround us. That's all.
So, let's check ourselves honestly.
What has become an idol?
Ask the Lord for forgiveness and let's throw down those idols once and for all.
We can still have phones. But, let's be wiser about them.
goodbye idols,
jill
Raise your hand if you are still with me on our Bible reading journey?
Listen, I know it was tough with a capital T to hang on through the book of Leviticus. Goodness gracious with the laws and the sacrifices and the blood....
OH, but y'all. Hang in there with me. All of this points straight to the coming of Jesus.
I wish I could look you in the face and talk to you about all of this. We are right smack in the middle of Joshua boldly leading the troops into the Promised Land.
Is anyone else sad that Moses could not enter the Promised Land? Oh heavens my heart breaks for him. I mean, he was chosen and highly favored, but he acted in disobedience. And, God would not allow him to enter the new land due to it.
Has anyone else noticed how seriously God is about sin and especially idols?
If someone was caught with an idol or anything from the foreigners they were killed on the spot. And their family as well!
This speaks to me about the character of God.
He wants purity in our hearts. Not just in our hearts, but in our bodies and outside of our bodies.
He knows the consequences of sin....
It will ruin the whole camp.
My daughter had a little girl on her team years ago that had a terrible attitude. She was also a bit of a bully. The whole team suffered because of her actions and words. They did not win games, not due to lack of ability, but because this one child was causing so much destruction among her teammates.
It is the same with sin.
One itty bitty piece of sin can ruin the whole of our hearts.
It multiplies.
It doesn't stop until the whole heart and mind are obliterated.
Aren't we thankful for Jesus?
He does wash away our sins, yes. However, we still willingly walk in sin from time to time. Sometimes for years.
We think to ourselves "this is my only vice. surely it is not that big of a deal. everyone has to have something, right?"
And, just like Satan whispered to Eve, "Aww, it's okay. It won't really hurt you."
Satan is a LIAR.
Anything he tells you is a lie. God calls him the father of lies.
So, there's that.
God has not changed, y'all. He still hates sin. He abhors it.
Because, He knows what it does to us, and to our loved ones.
He knows how sin slowly leads a heart astray. Into the black pit of bondage.
And idols.
Oh and aren't we so fond of some idols.
You may think not, but I beg to differ.
I am not much different than you. I can name many idols that have cropped up in my life over the years. Seemingly innocent things, yet determined to distract me just enough that I lose sight of what is important.
Our phones.
Yes, let's go there.
I have loved my phone.
Really, I will admit it.
I love getting texts and email and messages! It makes me happy!
But, here is the problem with phones.
They distract us from the present a lot of the time.
I can hear you saying, "Oh no! Not me! I keep up with people through social media and texting and snapchat and facebook. The phone has been a good thing!"
Yes, it can be good. However, it has an addiction attached to it that few want to admit.
What do you look at when you wake up? Over breakfast? Over lunch? Over dinner? Right before bed?
Most of us look at our phones more than we look into the eyes of our loved ones. Did you know you can check your screen time on your phone? Yep. Go ahead. I will wait while you check.
I was SHOCKED when I saw the hours I had been on my phone in the course of a week.
The more connected we become, the more disconnected we are.
Here is a good way to get an honest answer...
Ask your children or your spouse or your mother if you are on your phone too much.
They will shoot straight with you.
And when they do, try not to be defensive.
We are no different than the Old Testament peeps, you guys.
Just different idols surround us. That's all.
So, let's check ourselves honestly.
What has become an idol?
Ask the Lord for forgiveness and let's throw down those idols once and for all.
We can still have phones. But, let's be wiser about them.
goodbye idols,
jill
