We all Worship Something

I’ve been truly amazed at the remarkable amount of media coverage Taylor Swift’s recent concert tour received. It was mind boggling to see the tens of thousands of hyped-up fans crowding the stadiums, swaying to her songs, and singing along with her. It all seemed quite insane, actually.

Do you realize that it is undeniably—and sadly—idol worship…the worship of a singer, a human being, someone or something other than God? It’s not her fault. It simply shows the desperate hunger today to experience something to believe in with others.

I’ve been thinking of worship lately—a  LOT! It is almost deer season, a time when I worshipped getting into the woods to hunt deer with wild abandon. I’ll be honest with you– it was also a time when I put God on the back shelf. It was more important for me to get up before dawn and get dressed and on the road to the woods than it was to invest a few moments of sincere prayer and Bible reading. I gave God the crumbs of my time while hunting was on the throne of my life.

Fall is when football, sports, and other things can occupy the seat of primary importance in our lives. While hunting, fishing, and sports are all well and good—and things God created for us to enjoy—if they become more important than spending quality and quantity time with God, you have a worship issue. As I often say, “Idol Worship is Idle Worship.” Who or what we worship is who or what we serve. Worshipping a celebrity singer like Taylor Swift, the chase of a big antlered deer, or your favorite NFL quarterback will do nothing for your spiritual life—except draw you further afield from God.

Anything you put ahead of God is an idol, and God is a jealous God. As Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” God wants to be the top priority of your life. And you know what? When you place God consistently at the top, everything else falls into place. I love what Matthew 6:33 says in the Amplified translation, “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.”

So, join me if you will, in realigning your sights first on God. If you’ve been off course, like the loving father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, God our Father is watching and waiting eagerly for your return!