False Gods 

“Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (Joshua 24: 33) 

   The Israelites, the chosen people of God, never seemed to understand that they must put away all false gods and worship only the one true God.  Over and over they paid homage to foreign gods, the gods of the pagans among them.  Over and over they suffered for their infidelity to God.

   The worship of false gods continues today.  Society has chosen to give homage to the false gods of the world, rejecting the one true God.  They care only for self and selfish wants and desires.

   Physical beauty is one of the false gods of today.  Many go to great length, even mutilating their bodies in order to achieve what the world calls beauty.   But physical beauty is a god that can never be satisfied; it will never last.  True and lasting beauty lies within us.

   Others worship money.  Their god has a dollar sign attached and some will go to any length to get more.  Families are often destroyed, excessive stress in the never-ending effort to obtain increasingly greater wealth sometimes leads to physical and emotional issues and even suicide.  No matter the balance of the bank account, on the day of their death it will all belong to another.  A life worshipping a false god is a life wasted.

   Worst of all is the god of pleasure.  It is this god that says there are no rules; nothing is forbidden.  “If it feels good, do it” is the mantra of those who worship this god.  Sexual promiscuity, lies, cheating; all are fine if some warped sense of happiness or physical pleasure can be achieved.  There is no lasting happiness to be found except in God.  All else is temporary at best and, at worst, leads to eventual destruction.

   There are a multitude of false gods leading to hell, but there is only one God who will lead us to heaven.  “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” (John 17: 3)