Over the last few weeks, I've been reading through the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament. There are probably a few familiar visions you may remember...the wheel within the wheel with eyes all around and the flying creatures, the valley of dry bones...but the thing that struck me most when I was reading through the book this time was the idolatry of the children of Israel. Over and again the Lord expresses His grief and anger over the way the Israelites worshiped things rather than God Himself. They would receive with gratitude the gifts that God had given them, but soon used those gifts to worship other things, false gods, wooden idols. Bear with me, and the Word:

"'But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it. You took some of your garments (with which I had dressed you) and adorned multicolored high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be . You have also taken your beautiful jewelry and My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them. You took your embroidered garments (with which I clothed you) and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them. Also, My food which I gave you - the pastry of fine flour, oil and honey which I fed you - you set it before them and sweet incense, and so it was,' says the Lord God."

Ezekiel 16-19

Then, I stopped...looked in the mirror. How have I taken the good and lovely blessings from the Giver of Life and turned them into personal idols in my life? Have the gifts become the focus of my daily life? Do I find that I cherish those things around me without remembering Whose hand they come from? Have the people around me become more important to me than their very Creator? I haven't set up bronze images in my house or built an altar in my backyard, but do I love Him with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength? Anything less than all is to stumble over the First Commandment...you shall have no other gods before Me.

If I'm not giving all my all to Him, I'm giving it to someone else, to something else. Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see the wickedness of my ways and bring me to my knees in repentance. And lead me in the way everlasting, seeing and savoring You as the most valuable treasure of my life.