(Read Numbers 21:8-9, 2 Kings 18:1-4, Exodus 33:1-17)
In Numbers 21:8-9 because Israel had sinned against God, He disciplined them by sending them poisonous snakes in the wilderness causing many of the Israelites to be bitten and die. When Moses cried out on behalf of Israel, God got Moses to build a bronze snake and anyone who looked at the snake when they were bitten was healed by God!!!
Yet in 2 Kings 18:4 we find out that the very thing that was meant to be a blessing from God to heal Israel, became an idol that the Israelites started worshipping!!
DON'T LET THE BLESSING OF GOD BECOME AN IDOL.
Moses had this revelation in Exodus 33:3 when God told him He would still give Israel the PROMISED land and yet His PRESENCE would not go with them there because of their sin. Moses' response in vs 15 was in effect, Lord, if your presence does not go with us, do not send us from here (in the wilderness with God's presence).
In other words, Moses DESIRED THE PRESENCE OF GOD MORE THAN THE PROMISES OF GOD!!
So often we can get so distracted by the blessings that God gives us, that we take our eyes off and stop seeking the One who gave us the blessing in the first place!! We start seeking and idolising the blessing rather than the blessing giver!!
Some of us might have been blessed by our Heavenly Father with a good job, (there is nothing wrong with having a good job and working hard because God tells us this is important in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 when He said through Paul 'if a man shall not work, he shall not eat')
and yet we can get to the point where we work so hard and such long hours in our job that we are too busy to go to church or too busy to have our quiet times with Jesus each day!! Without realising it, we have put our job (the very blessing God has given us) ahead of spending time with Jesus Himself!!
Some of us may have been blessed with finances from God, and yet we can get to the point where we start running after money, rather than running after Jesus! (Matthew 6:24- you cannot serve both God and money!)
Some of us have been blessed with a husband or wife from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22- He who finds a wife, finds what is good and receives favour from the Lord!!). And yet people can get so distracted by their relationships with their spouse, that they allow that to stop them from spending intimate time with Jesus and living out Jesus' purpose for their life!!
(In fact these were some of the same excuses that people gave in Luke 14:18-20 that prevented them from coming to the wedding banquet to dine with Jesus in eternity!!)
So the question is:
1.What blessings has God given me that I am tempted to idolise? (Job, house, finances, spouse etc.)
2.Which of these blessings do I need to re-evaluate and submit to Jesus in, so that It no longer takes me away from Jesus?
I pray that we would learn to submit these areas of our life to Jesus so that He can help us be solely devoted to Him in every aspect of our life!!
PRAYER:
Jesus, please help me not to idolise or run after the blessings you give me, but run after and desire you instead!!
Amen.
God bless!!
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