Idols

The imposter syndrome that ushered in the era of cheaper products at lower prices has not been limited to  the economic realm. Indeed, discovering that there is a way to make ourselves feel bigger without investing the actual amount of whatever it takes to get there has permeated every aspect of our lives. 

Including our Christianity. 

This is, at its heart, idol worship. It's the same thing man has been doing since the dawn of time - trying to find a way to have God, but without all of the discipline and expectation that the Lord has of His people. We have been trying to figure out how to live in favor without having to live with integrity. 

Just think about some of the ways that ancient Israel worshiped their idols, their false gods. 

They burned their children alive as a sacrifice to Molech. Remember, the Lord has asked for the sanctification of all of the firstborn. But it's a lot easier to burn a child than to raise one; it's a lot easier to physically sacrifice one than to set one apart and make sure he doesn't stray. 

They used to visit prostitutes at the shrines of various so-called deities. The Bible is full of stories of the shrine prostitutes of other gods. Remember, the Lord has called us to be holy in our sexuality, counting as sacred the ability that we have to create life and remembering the bond that we are meant to have with one another, as evidenced by the first relationship - Adam and Eve. But it's a lot easier to just go out and have random sex and to be able to say we are dedicating it to the Lord than it is to actually dedicate our sexuality to the Lord in the ways that He requires of us. 

They used to dance around the Asherah poles, an act of worship as required by that particular false god. Remember, the Lord has called us to live joyful lives but also to walk in His ways. It's a lot easier to go out and make a show of a dance every now and then to live every day the kind of joyful, holy life that God wants for us. 

So you see how easy it is to start making substitutions that seem, on the surface, to be almost the same things - the dedication of our firstborn, the sanctity of sex, a bit of dancing - while at the same time, completely missing the heart of true worship. While still calling ourselves religious persons. 

We have simply swapped out our Lord, our God, for a cheaper version, for a mere facsimile, for something that we think has power - something that we've given power in our life - but that doesn't require as much from us. 

We get to live the "blessed" life without all the trouble of being actually faithful. 

Don't we? 

But most of us aren't burning our children, visiting prostitutes, or dancing around weird poles. So where does that leave us? 

Our modern-day idolatry, tomorrow.