Something Else

This is what the LORD says: “Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

Jeremiah 10:2-5 NLT

Idolatry is a word that isn’t used much anymore. It sounds churchy. It sounds almost archaic. It rings of religiosity. It’s found all throughout the Old Testament. Time after time again God’s people turned away from Him looking elsewhere for answers, for provision, for security. It can be difficult and sometimes even seem absurd to place your faith in something you can’t see or touch. Our brain tells us it’s nonsense. We yearn for something tangible.

We want to taste.

We want to touch.

We want to smell.

We want to hear.

We want to see.

This is me. I find myself searching for happiness, for assurance, for security in things like TV, food, and money. I have diminishing faith. It sucks to read that, but I can’t escape the truth. Instead of a faith that grows with each passing moment or day, I have a faith that gradually decreases and fades with each breath I take. I look to refill what’s been lost, to replenish this ever increasing void with momentary glimpses of satisfaction—illusions.

I get so absorbed in my day, in my routine, in the busyness of life that I neglect to acknowledge the power and presence of Jesus in and around me. I’ll sit at my desk. I’ll work all day. I’ll plan. I’ll make decisions. I’ll prepare. I’ll do it all and take pride in my self-reliance. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’ve found yourself in a similar situation. Idols.

We live in a time and age when information is merely a click away. Resources are limitless. We can do it all. We can have it all. Who needs God? When everything you need is at your fingertips, or rather, when everything you perceive to need is at your fingertips at what point do we need God? This is the crippling nature of idolatry. It actually convinces you that something else can take the place of God; that something else can actually fill a need that only God can.

Instead of searching in futility for something to be your everything, know that without God you have nothing. Don’t be like me. Don’t call yourself a follower of Christ, yet be fully-devoted to something else. Take a stand. Make a difference. Start with your life so that God can use you to change the world.

If something else is resting in God’s seat grab it as fast as you can and throw it as far as you can. Let God be your everything.

Stop searching. Look no further.