Morning By Morning #125

Do men make their own gods?

Yes, but they are not gods!

Jeremiah 16:20

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

One of the most persistent and troubling sins of ancient Israel was idolatry, and we as spiritual Israel are subject to the same foolishness. “The star of…Rephan” (Acts 7:43) no longer shines, and women are no longer “mourning for Tam-muz” (Ezek. 8:14), but the god of money still imposes his golden calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken.

Self in various forms struggles to subdue God’s chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars wherever it can find room for them. These “favorite children” are often the cause of much sin in believers, and the Lord is grieved when He sees us obsessively doting on them. If we continue to do so, they will become as great a curse to us as Absalom was to David.

It is true that “they are not gods,” for these objects of our foolish love are very doubtful blessings. The comfort they bring us even now is dangerous, and what help they can render us in a time of trouble is very little indeed. Why then are we so captivated by these vanities of life? We pity the poor heathen who worships a god of stone, while we worship our god of money. And is our god of flesh really superior to one of wood?

In truth the foolishness of this sin is the same in either case. Yet in our case it is even more egregious because we have more light and we sin directly in God’s face. Heathens bow to a false deity and have never known the true God; we commit two evils—we forsake the living God to turn away to idols.

May the Lord purge us from this grievous iniquity!

The dearest idol I have known,

Whate’er that idol be;

Help me to tear it from Thy throne,

And worship only Thee.

William Cowper, 1731 – 1800

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Believers and unbelievers alike often say, “Money can’t buy happiness,” yet it appears our actions attempt to prove otherwise. In fact, the gods of money, power, sex, and drugs seem to rule our culture. When will we finally recognize the fact that this is nothing less than idolatry!

Here is what the Lord says, “If you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from my land” (2 Chron. 7:19 – 20 ESV).

Never despair, however, for the believer’s hope is found in obedience to the Lord and in submission to His will.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

Father, I pray that You “might give [us] repentance and forgiveness” (Acts 5:31) for our sin of idolatry and “heal [our] land.”