September 4
9And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” 10So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel. (Ezekiel 8:9, 10)
I found it interesting in Chapter Eight of the Book of Ezekiel that every time God spoke to Ezekiel about showing the prophet the “wicked and detestable things” the people of Israel were doing, it was a different form of idolatry. From mourning the god “Tammuz” to bowing to the sun while turning their backs on the Temple in Jerusalem, to the verses above where the Israelites have adorned the walls with portraits of unclean animals, among other idols.
So is our God that vain that He is so quick to be jealous when all our attention is not on Him? Does He require all of our attention? No! But, as chapter eight brings to life with great imagery, God does want our love and devotion. God wants us to pray to Him, to put Him before the world, and place your faith in His everlasting goodness. We are constantly distracted by the idols of this generation, and they can come from any medium: sports, movies, books, games, politicians, material possessions. When we idolize and put all these things above spending one-on-one time with God and Jesus, we commit the same sin these Israelites committed thousands of years ago.
It took me nine months to finally break the hold my phone and social media had on me this year. I finally find myself picking up my Bible instead of my phone when I have a moment to myself. I know social media has been a big distraction in my life and I see it all around me as so many mindlessly scroll through everyone else’s newsfeed. Not to mention our constant desire to post everything we do on social platforms. God sees everything we ever do, and He is the only one we should truly care to share with. Let Him see your love for Him everyday by giving Him the best of your time.
Chris Renzema released a beautiful new album, entitled “Get Out of the Way of Your Own Heart.” He’s got a really unique sound and I highly recommend giving this whole album a listen, which you can do by clicking here. And check out the music video launched to coincide with the album release by clicking the image below.
Reading plan: Titus 2:11-13
Deeper reading plan: Ezekiel 7, 8
Common Sense Reborn 