Images: Carved Images
You shall have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:3 (NKJV)
Who among the gods is like You, O Lord? Who is like You– majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
Exodus 15:11 (NKJV)
For you must not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14 (NKJV)
Could carved images be chiseled bodies? The kind top athletes work so hard to gain? If so, let me confess: I’m a sports fan.
“Fan” comes from the rousing word, FANATIC– even to a mark we might call “worship” (which is defined as “reverential awe”). I haven’t hit that degree of passion, but millions of fans obviously have.
Surely, God gifted sports stars with talent, but each of them WORKED to sharpen their skills: countless hours and years of dedication: sacrifices most of us would refuse– resulting in their chiseled images: buff bodies– combining art and science!
The carved images God hates are statues worshipped by people who didn’t know God. BUT… some of His children worshipped them, too!
Why would His children give their love away? PEER PRESSURE! It’s tempting to join the crowd.
Jews lived, worked, and walked in foreign cultures. They wanted “to blend.” They wanted new friends… and it's not easy to be different.
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
Don't worship carved images (buff bodies)–no celebrity’s– nor even your own.
'For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come' (1 Timothy 4:8).
I'm not saying to neglect your body, because it’s the temple of God’s Spirit, and Paul also said:
'I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified' (1 Corinthians 9:27).
I'm not saying to neglect football games, or whatever sports you enjoy watching.
Instead, I’m saying: Don’t love them too much! Don’t let them awe you. Don’t ask for autographs or take pictures. No celebrity. No power player. No up-and-comer. No Hall of Famer. No chiseled athletes. No buff-bodied babes.
Don’t love anyone (or thing) more than God. When passion for them tops passion for Him, you've elevated them to idols– carved images, which are destined to break.
'I am the Lord, that is My Name; And My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare' (Isaiah 42:8-9).
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
You’re among the new things God has declared. Therefore, always 'Keep yourself from idols' (1 John 5:21).
Images: Carved Images (Part 8)
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.