Idol Worship in the 21st Century

When Moses came down from the mountain with the stone tablets that had the law inscribed on them by the finger of God, he saw the Israelites worshiping a golden calf they had fashioned for themselves out of melted down jewelry. Moses was so upset he dropped and broke the tablets God had given him with the ten commandments. This is what most folks think that idol worship is, but it is so much more.

I'm not a legalist when it comes to the things of God. I believe Jesus came to set us free from the law and bring us liberty in love. Aside from there being order, I don't believe God prescribed any particular order of worship or how we worship. Jesus so simply put it. We are to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, whole mind, and whole strength.. He also said we are to love our neighbor as our self. All of the law hangs on these two things.

We have gotten good at understanding who our neighbor is and what it means to love our neighbor. We're not perfect at it, but we get it, and have varying degrees of success. It seems even more so at Christmas time. Giving to charities goes up. Cheer and goodwill to our fellow man increases. We seem to have a little more grace for folks. What about loving the Lord though? I think this is an area we woefully come up short on.

I think we have many things in our lives that come before the Lord and have become idols. Even loving our neighbor can become an idol if it becomes more important to us than loving God. The first commandment in the Old Testament says we should have no other god before us. The second says we shouldn't create any idols or worship them. These two commandments line right up with what Jesus was saying. When we have idols before us, we cannot love the Lord with our whole heart, whole mind, and whole strength.

Some of the idols we have in our lives have become so common place that we don't see them as idols. Take for instance our cars. If our cars weren't so much of an idol in our lives, maybe we wouldn't always have a car payment so we could always have the newest and shiniest. If our own car wasn't so important, maybe we would use public transportation more. Imagine the finances that would be freed up if you didn't have the newest, shiniest, fastest, or biggest vehicle. The monthly payment would be less or non-existent. The insurance would be cheaper. The fuel costs could be less. This all leads to being able to use some of the excess for the Kingdom of God and being the hands and feet of Christ instead of lining a creditor's pockets.

Our traditions can become idols before the Lord too. When we start following traditions religiously without any regard for God and it keeps us from worshiping God, the tradition has become an idol. When it is more important that a church service order be set a certain way out of tradition or regularity instead of adjusting as the needs of the assembled body change, the tradition is an idol. When nostalgic memories prevent updating a building or ministering to new people, the nostalgic memories become an idol.

Family time can be an idol in the 21st century too. I've never been the preacher that says everyone should be in the church building every time the doors are open. Time within our own families is very precious. However, it cannot become more important than time spent with God's people in godly worship and fellowship. Taking a Sunday off from church because Johnny has a soccer tournament is fine. Choosing a team that only plays when there are church services, is putting the soccer before the Lord.

The last possible idol I want to point out, though there are many many more, is our jobs. Many of us take providing for our family very serious. Don't get me wrong, that is fantastic! However, when the work starts interfering with our personal time with the Lord and our family time with the Lord, it can become an idol and something has to change. You don't have to make the most money possible to be a good provider for your family. Our identity is not found in what we do for a living, it is found in who we are in Christ. Are you in danger of this idol? Maybe.

Here's an easy way to find out if you have one of these idols, or another, you are worshiping, consciously or not. Ask your spouse or trusted friend who spends a lot of time with you to watch you. Have them take note of the first couple of things you talk about when you meet someone knew, preferably outside a church setting. Is the first thing you talk about or say about yourself, where you work? Is it your favorite actor or actress? Is it your latest praise or gripe about the current political state of affairs? Is it about that cool new purchase you made? Is it about your family? Is it about your life in Christ?

I dare say whatever the first two or three things you share when meeting someone tend to be the things you think define you and therefore are what you worship, consciously or not. That is idol worship in the 21st century.