The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! Those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow. I will not take part in their sacrifices or even speak the names of their gods. Psalm 16: 3-4 NLT
When this psalm was written, people worshipping other gods was very real. In fact, the Israelites were the only culture in the area who were monotheists. It was very tempting to have other gods when everyone surrounding them believed in all these gods. How can one hold onto just one God? Can one God do all these multiple gods do? What if you have specific needs? What would be the harm in believing in more than one god?
While there are still some polytheistic religions today, most of us don't know anything about them or are even tempted to worship as they do. The gods we face, especially in a Western culture, are the gods of happiness, power, money, good looks and fame. We are always tempted to try something to make us happy. We want power through our political associations, our job/volunteer positions and even through our cell phones. We are consumed with thoughts of getting money, spending money, borrowing money, and being in debt because of lack of money. We spend hours on our bodies - whether we are dieting or eating, exercising or buying clothes, dying our hair or botoxing. And even if we claim we don't want notoriety, we are all susceptible to being liked by others and greatly admire celebrities.
Our gods have changed. Chasing after them and being filled with sorrow has not changed.
God, help us to look to the godly people in our land and in our acquaintance. May we take pleasure in them and see them as heroes. May we turn aside from chasing after all our modern gods. Fill us with your joy. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
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