My wife Pam and I recently had a conversation about how making good things into being the best things turns good things into idols. An idol might be described as anything you and I love more than we love Jesus. Is there anything in your life that you love more than you love Jesus? In our day, as in all of history, we live in a world of idols. As John Calvin famously said, our hearts are idol factories. That's why the Bible continually warns us to guard our hearts. Today, let's consider this rather emphatic passage, written by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:

I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. (Isaiah 42:8)

I think God is making a point here, don't you? In our ever so tolerant world, we might like to think that all religions have the same value but God does not. He wants us to understand that He is the Only God. He's the One God and He is not tolerant of any other so-called "gods." He doesn't tolerate any idols in our lives. That doesn't just mean idols made of gold or wood; that also means idols that appear in the form of sex, money, relationships, power, health, or popularity. We can become so attached to these things that we are unwilling to give them up.  Today might be a good time for you to consider the very real possibility that you are cherishing some idols of your own. Take a few prayerful, penitent moments to ask God to reveal the idols you have given your heart to, and then listen for His answer.

I promise you that God will always answer that prayer. God wants to chase the idols out of your life and my life, today...and that's very Good News!