The word idol today has a pleasant connotation. In today’s lingo it means a star, a great performer, someone who can wow and dazzle a crowd, somebody who has hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of Twitter followers. Television pumps out idols by the dozens for us to fawn over and applaud.

In biblical times the term referred to an image or statue representing a heathen god or goddess. Satan made sure that the Old Testament Israelites saw much to like in the worship of deities other than the God of Abraham. The prophets’ spoken and written messages for many centuries railed on the people for losing their love for the Lord and trusting in idols, which is to say, trusting in a nonexistent fantasy. Not all paths lead to heaven. Idol worship is spiritual suicide.

King David, sacred poet, knew and respected his own sometimes wandering heart. He consciously strove to get rid of his own idols and repledge himself to the Lord: “Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips” (Psalm 16:4). So which idols do you chase? Where is your trust? Your own ingenuity? Quick tongue? Stock portfolio? What’s on your life agenda? What excuses do you make for shorting the Lord of honorable worship time and offerings?

What do you need most in your life to make you happy?