Idols Among Us

Published: Dec. 19, 2019, midnight

b'King Josiah!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Shaphan, the scribe, said as he burst into the palace. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153We found this book in the temple. I\\u2019ve never read anything like this\\u2014if it\\u2019s true, then woe for Jerusalem!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Read it to me,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d said Josiah. Shaphan did, and then Josiah tore his robes and wept!\\nWhat Shaphan read was the Book of the Law, the rules God\\u2019s people followed to sustain the covenant between God and themselves before Jesus fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4). Josiah recognized that Jerusalem was full of sin\\u2014the breaking of God\\u2019s good rules. There were idols at every corner. So Josiah destroyed them! The next era of Jerusalem was filled with fire; but instead of burning incense to false gods, the city had a thick cloud of smoke over it from burning the shrines, altars, and temples of the idols.\\nBut what does a story about burning idols have to do with us today? You might be thinking, I don\\u2019t have any idols! It\\u2019s not like I pray to the moon or anything. Consider this: When [insert tragedy] happens, which do you do first? Post about it or pray about it? We as humans often go to other things before we think to go to God.\\nHumans have a desire to worship. Unfortunately, we tend to forget who made us with that desire and try to fulfill it by worshiping unworthy idols. One ofthe biggest idols today is our phones, which we place at the center of our lives instead of Jesus. Maybe you have a different idol. Whatever it is, anything or anyone that takes God\\u2019s place in your heart is an idol.\\nSo what can we do? By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can burn those idols like Josiah did long ago. (Note: please don\\u2019t literally burn your phone\\u2014the fumes are toxic!) \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Burning\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d today could look like setting restrictions on your phone, taking time to pause and remember your worth in Christ before you try to find it in an idol.\\nOnce we\\u2019ve removed the idol, our hearts need to be built up to become an altar to the true God. Josiah did this by calling Jerusalem together to read God\\u2019s laws and to make a covenant with the Lord. In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us, as Christians, to refocus our hearts on Christ alone. \\n\\u2022 What idol(s) do you have in your life? \\n\\u2022 What can you do to \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153burn\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d them\\u2014remembering that Christ, not your idol, is worthy of worship and where you can find worth and identity? \\nYou shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3 (WEB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\n2 Chronicles 34:29-33; Romans 12:1-2'