No Other gods

One thing we learn from history is that people don’t learn from history. What was true in ancient Israel was equally true in the Roman Empire - idols were everywhere. On Paul’s missionary journeys, he would have encountered idols of every kind. In Acts 17, he visited Athens, where he would have seen numerous temples, altars, and statues dedicated to various false gods. He was deeply distressed by what he saw.

Idolatry is when something or someone becomes a rival to God’s exclusive glory. We are surrounded by it in our culture today. When we see it, are we deeply distressed like Paul was? Do we defend the name of the Lord and want idols in our culture erased? Or have we grown comfortable with them, tolerating them with very little resistance.

And what about you? Is there anyone or anything in your life that has become a rival to God’s exclusive glory?