I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most readers of this page know very little about the world of KPop (Korean pop music). KPop has been growing for decades but has found mainstream success in the United States over the past few years. My teenage daughter has dipped her toes into the KPop world, leading me to explore it a little. Before discovering KPop fandom I thought that it was impossible for any fan base to be more fanatical than those of various sports teams I know. Boy was I wrong! KPop fans have to be the most devoted fans in the world. They will do virtually anything for their favorite group. While very few people speak Korean, KPop videos and songs frequently top Youtube and other streaming services charts. The reason? Many KPop fans set their computers to repeatedly play a video FOR DAYS in order to get their group to the top of the charts. The lengths they will go to support their favorite groups are truly remarkable, and in some cases a little extreme (there is even a Wikipedia article all about it!).
Now, while I’m guessing you’re not a KPop aficionado, I’m quite sure there are things you are highly devoted to. It may be a sports team, NASCAR driver, hobby (hunting, golf, your favorite sports team, your Harley, etc.), or any number of things. It’s not necessarily bad to be devoted to any of these things. I actually think it’s quite healthy to have a hobby and a variety of fun interests. Where we can run into problems, however, is when we trade in God for the things God created for us. And, if we are being honest, this is a problem most of us run into. We turn down opportunities to serve God to spend time on our hobby. We skip Bible study to watch a sporting event. We don’t truly tithe, not because we don’t have the money, but because we choose to spend it on things God created, instead of on God. If we are being honest, I think we’d have to admit that we are not fully devoted to God. Instead, we find ourselves routinely trading God in for things that are far less great and important.
The Apostle Paul summed this up in his typically amazing (and blunt!) way:
Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Romans 1:21-22, 25
I love that line: we exchange God’s truth for a lie and worship the creature rather than the creator. This week, ask yourself: am I truly living FULLY DEVOTED to God, or am I overly devoted to lies and created things? What do you need to change this week in order to be more devoted to your Creator, Sustainer, and Savior?
