There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. Psalm 86:8
It seems to me, humanity's biggest mistake is to idolize other things, people, and gods. This is not merely done by kneeling in front of a statue or praying to an entity. Whenever we worship---give unadulterated adoration--- toward something or someone other than God---then we are practicing idolatry.
For Americans, idolatry doesn't usually look like it did to the early church. The early church was dealing with other gods---the pagan gods of other cultures and religions. This isn't usually our fight. The early church was also dealing with a government, Rome, that demanded its citizens proclaim their leader, the Emperor, to be god. This is something we know about. In America we certainly have leaders and entertainers and athletes and politicians who desire us to treat them as if they are infallible and worthy of a great amount of our time, talent, and treasure.
And often, in America, we get sucked up into the pursuit of many things that can derail us from our pursuit of Jesus. We think we must spend the majority of our time making more money or becoming more powerful or achieving more accomplishments.....as if our security is found in these things.
As Christians, we know our security is found in God. And the gifts and treasure God has given us are to be used to advance God's Kingdom. Yes, we must work to provide for us and our people, but not to the point that we neglect our relationship to the Divine. The Book of Revelation was meant to be a vision of what may come, or could come, as well as a way to understand what had already happened. How today can we turn from idolatry and back to God? What simple act can we do to take the first step of repentance and return?
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