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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Are You Planting Groves?

We were reading this morning in Deuteronomy for our devotional time.  One particular verse penetrated my heart.  It was Deut. 16:21, "Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee."  Idol worship was prevalent in the days of the patriarchal fathers.  God speaks a lot to His people about keeping themselves pure from this type of sin.  He reminds them over and over again how easy it is to get snared into idol worship. And in this verse, God goes so far as to say that He does not even want them to plant groves near the altar of the Lord!  Can't you just hear sceptics today saying how legalistic this sounds?  For many Christians today, the whole idea of idol worship seems foreign.  Most Christians I know don't get tempted to worship statues of man's making.  But, lest we forget, idol worship is not just worshipping something we call a god, but replacing the Creator God from His rightful position.  There is much surrounding us on a daily basis that could easily become an idol.  Idol worship is about putting anything before Christ in your life.  And that my friend, can be almost anything.  People, hobbies, money, position, and the list could go on and on.  What groves are you planting near the altar of God in your life?  Is it your family?  Is it homeschooling or healthy eating or your favorite hobby?  What about technology…facebook, twitter, and yes, even blogging?  Are these things bad?  No, but when our time with God takes a backseat to these things, then they become our idols.  So ask yourself today as I am asking myself; what groves have I planted near the altar of God?  I think it might be a good time to lay the ax to the trees.  May the Lord give us wisdom to see when we are about to plant groves of our own making.  

8 comments:

Aritha V. said...

Thanks! This touched me and I will read it again and again. God bless you!

Chelle said...

Wonderful post. Makes you think alot about what you put before God. Thank you for sharing.

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

What a great post. I need to pray and see if any "trees" are near the altar. This is a good question to ask ourselves periodically as we enter new seasons of life. Blessings, Jackie

Camille said...

Yes, my friend! You have once again pointed us to the LORD and been an instrument of good in the lives of your readers. Thank you for stating it like it is!! How deceived I was as a young Christian into thinking I had no problem with idols...how wrong I was!! Idols of the heart are so sinister and evil...we must always be on guard against setting anything up in the place of God in our lives!

Many blessings to you Jackie!
In Him,
Camille

Unknown said...

Very good post and something I have to ask myself often. Thank you!
Blessings,
Rashel

1ofHis said...

Completely agree with Camille! Very convicting post.

Sarah said...

GREAT post Jackie! Definitely a question we need to ask ourselves almost constantly!

Very thought provoking...wonderful Post!

Lois said...

Very sagacious words! I truly needed to hear them today, and I have never seen that verse before, even though I know I've read it. The idol of family and of homeschooling is very real right now. Those idols are evident all around me. OK, now I'm off the computer, pursuing Him. Thank you, Jackie!