Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods. Psalm 97:7

Shame is something that most people do not want to have in their lives. It means that one has done something wrong or has failed in some way or another. The world tries to avoid shame as much as possible. People are told that they can do or be what they want to do or be without being told that they are wrong or that they have failed. This allows for people to do anything without shame.

The writer of this psalm says that anyone who serves a carved image should be shamed and that all the idols need to worship God.

People tend to worship things, positions and other people on a regular basis. They put things at the very top of their priority list in their lives at the expense of everything else. Those things are the primary focus of all that they do and what they are about.

Anything that a person puts at the extreme top of one’s priority list in life is an idol. Although not worshipping it in a religious sense, the person is still worshipping that thing.

Even though the world says that one can worship that thing, in light of who God is, the person should be ashamed of doing so. One should be ashamed that one is putting all of time, effort and strength into some inanimate object that can do nothing at all.

All of one’s time, effort and strength—worship–belongs to God. It is God who created the person and everything in this world. It is God who can speak and do things. It is God who lasts for all eternity and gives eternal life, not the physical things of this world.

What is your highest priority in life? It is easy to get caught up in the temporary things of this world and the trying to keep up with the neighbor in wanting more and more. Following the ways of the world will cause you to put all of your time and effort into things, worshipping those things.

Turn all of your focus upon God. Worship God and God alone. Serve God with all of your mind, soul, strength and abilities. Make your life a life of worship to the one true God who is alive, not the dead things of this world.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will be ashamed of any idols in your life; that you will worship God with all of your life; and that you will serve God first, above all else in your life.

Picture by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash