S4-62 SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY—OUR STUMBLING BLOCK

21st Century idolatry is vastly different from that Israel often pursued. For instance, they literally worshipped a golden calf (Exodus 32) and Baal, a Canaanite god (I Kings 12). Idolatry today is exceptionally subtle. We may not bow down to graven images, but we defy the Lord our God by placing other gods before Him. These “gods” are so enmeshed in our modern lives that we don’t consider them objects of our worship. They range from our employment to our homes, from education to our children. Brother Singh stresses, “Anything that takes our commitment from serving God fully is idolatry.”  Spiritual idols are seldom evil. Instead, they are valid interests given the wrong priority. We justify our haphazard service to God because of our job or family commitments. Or perhaps we rationalize missing services because of the hectic pace of modern life. God sees all our distractions as idols we choose to serve before Him.