Idolatry

Ignore God at Your Own Peril!

There are many people today who believe that God does not exist.  According to Geroge Barna Research, the number of atheists in America has grown to almost 25% of the population (The State of the Church Series, 2011). And there are others who claim to be Christian yet do not accept all the teachings of the Bible.  According to that same Barna Research study, only 43% of self-identified Christians in America believe the Bible to be accurate in all of its teachings.  Many of them believe that what the Bible teaches is not relevant anymore in today’s world.  Unfortunately, their beliefs put them in grave peril.  It’s not that they are necessarily turning to an alternative set of truths, but rather they are making up their own truth and living their lives accordingly.

God has a lot to say about His creation, and the Bible records His truth and His message for ALL people. Now, of course, not everyone believes in God or the truth of the Bible, but that does not negate that it is God’s Word and wisdom for us as His creation. (You can choose not to believe in gravity, but if you fall off of a tall building you will discover its truth rather painfully!)  Watch this brief video by Frances Chan on Why We Need the Bible that offers a wonderful and clear explanation of this reality.

The Bible says in Genesis 1 that God created us. Later on in Exodus God gave Moses 10 basic rules by which we are to live by called the 10 Commandments.  His number 1 rule is that we “shall have no other gods before Him.” (Exodus 20:3)  In other words, we as humans are not to worship any other gods but Him. So, for those people who do not believe in God, they are worshiping other gods instead. This is called idolatry, and God issues warning after warning throughout Scripture of the danger of following other gods.

So those who choose to ignore God and the Bible do so at their own peril.  In Galatians 6:7 it says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.” Relying on one’s own self or other gods will ultimately prove disastrous. That’s why Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  When we go our own way instead of God’s, it will not end well for us.  Jesus also confirms what happens when God or His Son is ignored.  He says in John 3:36 that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”  These Scriptures clearly point to the consequences of ignoring God – and the result is disaster, death, and destruction!

All people have a choice on who or what to believe in.  But as Frances Chan says, God’s Word is eternal and the ultimate Truth, because it comes from God Himself. If we choose not to listen to God then we do so at our own peril.  Deuteronomy 11: 26-28 says, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.”  God is clearly giving us the opportunity of making our own choice. Choosing to ignore God will bring us curses rather than blessings in our lives.

But if we turn to God, worship Him, obey His commands, and follow His Son Jesus, God promises to bless us.  In Psalm 1:1-2 it says that “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”  By looking to God and relying on the Bible (His Word) God promises that we will be blessed!  Jesus confirms that blessing when He says in Luke 11:28 that “blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.”

So what choice will you make?  Will you follow God and reap His blessings for your life, or will you follow yourself or other gods and so bring ruin upon your life?  The choice is yours.

Choose wisely!