Psalms 115:4-8 (NKJV)
Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6 They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7 They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8 Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.
I owe you all an apology. Last Friday’s devotional completely slipped from my mind and I failed to get something drafted and posted. However, it actually worked to give wings to what I had intended to write. God’s timing and intentions are perfect and I believe He worked last week to this week’s benefit.
I received a phone call from a good friend last week. He was driving and listening to an audio recitation of Psalms chapters 113-117. He told me that as he was listening to it, I came to mind and he felt compelled to call. After our conversation, I couldn’t help but to explore the chapters he mentioned. Chapter 115 really came to life for me. The psalmist is speaking about idolatry in this chapter. He speaks about how shallow, empty, pointless and ultimately dangerous it is. As I thought about what was being said and God was conveying to me, I couldn’t help but examine the idolatry in my life. Ironically, idolatry is precisely what led to my forgetting to write for last week. You see, I was tied up, working in the archery shop until late. I had a number of customers, a couple that were there late. By the time they had left, I had forgotten all about writing. My thoughts were squarely on my work. My work in the archery shop is not a bad thing. It is something I enjoy and am passionate about. I am good at it and in many instances God has used it as a platform for me to glorify Him and witness to another. It becomes an idol, however, when it serves as a wedge between Him and I. It becomes an idol when its position on the list of priorities shifts ahead of God, my relationship with Him and the purpose He expects me to be serving.
As I evaluated this, I began to see just how many and how often idols distract me from God and our relationship. Idols can take many forms and in and of themselves often are not necessarily bad things. The way they become bad is measured by our motives of heart and the hierarchy we give them. Idols can be our work, relationships, our spouses, children, hobbies, materialistic pursuit, and a great host of many others. It is an idol when we lose our grip on what is most important, giving to it more than we are giving to God.
Those people and things have a place in our lives and there is room for them, just make sure they are in their proper place. Where are you ranking God in your day to day? Is He paramount or does He get the remnants? Pursue those people and things God blesses you with, but make sure it is to His purpose and glory first and foremost. My wife and I are preparing to head west on Saturday for our annual hunting excursion. As we do so, I will be mindful that it is held in its proper place, giving thanks and praising God for His glory and generosity, being vigilantly obedient to how He’d use this to His purpose. Have a blessed weekend.
In full pursuit of the greatest Trophy,
Scott Pace
