God goes to great lengths in His Word to portray Himself as our Jealous Lover. It's sad really: the Creator of all time and space stooping to speak into our tiny, human existence in an attempt to convince us that He is worthy of our heart's attention.
God began this pitiful yet necessary game of persuasion long ago with the Israelites. For them He unbelievably made a dry passageway in the middle of a huge sea! For them He miraculously released that same sea to consume the tormentors that had held them in bondage for 400 years! For them He preserved their every shoe and every shirt so that they had no lack of coverage while wandering in a scorching desert for 40 years! For them He literally rained-down food from heaven! For them He wildly parted yet another body of water and led them into a gorgeous land where He executed hundreds of thousands of their enemies!
The Lord of all Lords provided all of this for the Israelites, yet still He knew it would be necessary to continue proving Himself to them. You see, the Israelites were surrounded by nations that worshipped man-made idols. Men and women, created by God, fashioned with their own hands bookshelf figurines before whom they bowed. From wood and metal statues they sought wisdom and guidance! In times of war and fear, they even enhanced and reinforced their idols to ensure that they would stand and continue in their "powers." Pitiful.
And so, because of this disgusting idolatry, we find God engaged in dialogue with His people (see Isaiah 40-44). The Sovereign and Holy One speaks with persuasion in order to retain the hearts of those He has loved and blessed for hundreds of years. How sad that He has to do this.
Now, let us turn our eyes upon ourselves:
After all He's done for us, all He's given and provided, and all He's delivered us from - is God still trying to win our hearts? Is His Spirit still contending with our waywardness in an attempt to pull our hearts away from our idols? What idols fill our lives? What idols cause take our eyes and hope away from the Lord? What false Gods are you seeking for help, comfort, or counsel rather than the one true God? What consumes your thoughts, time, energy, and emotions? Is it God Himself, or is it some idol which leaves you with nothing left to give the Lord?
Consider if any of the list below may be an idol in your life:
Your Children
Your Family
Your Job
Beauty and the physical body
TV
Education
Busyness
Sexual Gratification
Food
Computer, internet, and other technology
Hobbies
Alcohol, cigarettes or other substances
Medicine
Pursuit of material possessions
Sports
Astrology and horoscope
Stay tuned - next we'll explore how the things on this list are often idols in our lives ....
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