Daily Devotional
We Become What We Worship
“But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?”
Galatians 4:8-9
September 10, 2024
Ponder This
The ancients worshiped a god whose name was Mammon, the god of wealth and possession. We have people today who still worship that god. They don’t call him Mammon, but they are committed to riches, wealth, success, and achievement. People’s ambitions shape what they do. An idol is really just a magnified sinner. Man deifies himself and then because he deifies himself, he worships himself through worshiping his idol. If a man can make a god out of sex and then he worships sex, well, he’s got to give himself to it. If a man makes a god out of money, he worships money and nothing is too good for his god, so he gives himself to that cause.
The man molds the idol and then the idol molds the man. A man takes his own worst desires and so magnifies them that he makes gods out of them—his lust, his greed, his fears, his hates, his desires—and then he begins to worship them. We become like what we worship. When you worship God, you become like God. You worship Jesus, you behold His face, you’re changed to the same image. But if you worship an idol, you become like your idol.
- How have you been affected by the idols you have worshiped?
- Why is idol worship so dangerous? Why is it not tolerable in the life of a Christian?
Practice This
Pray against idol worship in your home and in your church.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
