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Day 246, or September 3rd. Don't worship whatever you make.

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Our thoughts today are rooted in Hosea chapter 8 verse 4. They set up kings without my consent.

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They choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for

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themselves, to their own destruction.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Throughout the Old Testament the prophets

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constantly taught the people that things you could make were not worth worshipping. If

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you were able to create them, that makes you their master, so don't treat them like gods.

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Idol worship was a real problem for the Jews, as they were the only people who worshipped

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an invisible god, and the peer pressure this created resulted in regular slipping into

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practices like their neighbours, who had gods you could actually see and touch. Hosea condemns

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Israel's golden calf that they had made to worship, even though the golden calf made

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centuries earlier by Aaron had proved such an utter disaster shortly after Aaron's brother

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Moses had led the Israelites out of the slavery of Egypt.

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And now our action step for today. Of course we have come a long way since our ancestors

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bowed down to idols, but in many ways we haven't progressed that far. We have simply swapped

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stone idols for more sophisticated substitutes. You hear of successful people being described

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as self-made, so that they can claim all the glory for their success. Of course if things

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don't work out so well, they will say things like, someone up there doesn't like me, or,

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Lady Luck hasn't visited me today. Of course they say this. Otherwise they would have to

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accept the blame themselves, and that wouldn't suit, would it? Did you hear of the self-made

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man who proved he was truly self-made by spending his life worshipping his Maker, Him? Jesus

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said, If you cling to your life you will lose it, and if you let your life go you will save

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it. Luke chapter 17 verse 33. Live for others and grow deeper. Live for yourself and remain

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shallow.