On Sunday, we studied the account of Elijah standing up to 450 prophets of Baal and challenging the people of Israel to worship the One, True God.
1 Kings 18:21 — "Elijah went up to the people and said, 'How much longer will it take you to make up your minds? If the Lord is God, worship him; but if Baal is God, worship him!' But the people didn't say a word." (Good News Translation)
A defining choice has to be made.
But we don't like making choices of that magnitude. We want to straddle the line, sit on the fence, or kick the can down the road. We want to have all the information, assurances, and proof that we can find before going all in on something.
So we live in both camps. We claim to trust God and also trust in who we are and what we have. God is good, but so is a raise. God is worth it, but so is the new television. God is a delight, but so is a vacation. God is our provider, but so is my work, which puts the actual food on the table.
The problem isn't that these things are bad, but that we so easily elevate good things into ultimate things.
In essence, Elijah is screaming to all who can hear: "Make up your mind."
Either the Lord is God or He isn't.
Either Baal is worthy of your worship or he isn't!
Pick one or the other, but you can't serve both!
We do not face much temptation to follow other religions, bow down to images of stone, or sacrifice to other deities, but that does not mean we do not have idols!
The late pastor Timothy Keller states: "An idol is anything more important to you than God."
Ouch.
There are a number of things that I would confess take precedence over God. I frequently find myself arranging my day around ball games, errands, work responsibilities, and leisure, only to apologize to God with the excuse that I ran out of time….
This week, we are going to talk about combating the idols we have created in our lives, but this morning, I want you to consider all of the things that are more important to you than God.
Sure, you may not like to admit it, but what do your finances, schedule, entertainment, and conversations center on most?
What does the way you actually live reveal about what you truly worship?
