Idols …Have You Made Your Own god?

Isaiah 43; Isaiah 44; Isaiah 45; 1 Peter 4
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Idols …Have You Made Your Own god?

Scripture

Isaiah 44

9 How foolish are those who manufacture idols.
These prized objects are really worthless.
The people who worship idols don’t know this,
so they are all put to shame.
10 Who but a fool would make his own god—
an idol that cannot help him one bit?
11 All who worship idols will be disgraced
along with all these craftsmen—mere humans—
who claim they can make a god.
They may all stand together,
but they will stand in terror and shame.
12 The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool,
pounding and shaping it with all his might.
His work makes him hungry and weak.
It makes him thirsty and faint.
13 Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood
and draws a pattern on it.
He works with chisel and plane
and carves it into a human figure.
He gives it human beauty
and puts it in a little shrine.
14 He cuts down cedars;
he selects the cypress and the oak;
he plants the pine in the forest
to be nourished by the rain.
15 Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it
and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol
and bows down in front of it!
16 He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
and to keep himself warm.
He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”
17 Then he takes what’s left
and makes his god: a carved idol!
He falls down in front of it,
worshiping and praying to it.
“Rescue me!” he says.
“You are my god!”
18 Such stupidity and ignorance!
Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.
19 The person who made the idol never stops to reflect,
“Why, it’s just a block of wood!
I burned half of it for heat
and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat.
How can the rest of it be a god?
Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”
20 The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
He trusts something that can’t help him at all.
Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,
“Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”

Observation

When you read Isaiah 44 you might think how foolish it would be for someone to make an idol out of a block of wood, but the idols people worship today are just as stupid.

Do you have idols in your life? How was your time spent last week? Did you commit time to the Lord everyday? Did you wake up with the Lord on your mind or did other things consume your thinking?

Whatever dominates your thinking has become your idol. It can be your job, a relationship, a boat, a car, a hobby, sports, money; it can be just about anything that takes God’s place as number one in your life.

Application

I will rejoice in the Lord today and I will let Him know that He is number one in my life.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me not to let something stupid come between You and me. I don’t want anything to take Your place in my life. There is nothing more important on this earth than You. Help me to please You today. May Your face shine on me and on my family today. I pray that my children and my grandchildren would wake up and think about You this morning. Be glorified through Your church today!

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