Thoughts on a Friday Morning

In my Bible reading, I read Deuteronomy 16 this morning. I especially noticed verses 21-22, which talk about idols. That got me thinking.

In today’s society, which is filled with atheists, agnostics, don’t-cares, and leave-me-alones, we don’t really have that many tangible idols. We talk mostly in metaphors, i.e., “the idol of sports,” or “the idol of the media.”  But we don’t have altars and poles and pillars laying around.

Or do we?

At a certain little Asian store which we visit to purchase tea and rice, I’ve consistently noticed a small shrine in the corner of the store. It’s a little gold idol. A bowl of fruit lays in front of it—fruit that these people paid good money for to lay in front of a lump of deaf, dumb, dead metal that can’t do anything for them. Incense sticks are crammed in a little vase, mute reminders of blind (oh, so very blind!) devotion.

That idol makes me so sad. These people are in bondage to it, thinking that it, a created being, can satisfy that God-shaped craving for love and acceptance inside. They’re blind.

But why are they blind? Perhaps some of them rejected the Truth, the offense of Christ being too great (though how such a wonderful Person could offend is beyond me).  But others are blind from not having been told. That is what breaks my heart.  We take so much for granted—including our faith! And those people have probably never heard of a Man called Christ.

I think I’ll bring some tracts next time we run out of tea.