This week’s Bible Study Fellowship lesson takes us face-to-face with who do we bow down to? In Daniel 3 we find three young Jewish boys ordered to bow to a 90-foot idol King Nebuchadnezzar made. If they refused, they would be thrown into the fiery furnace. The three young men teach us how to trust God with a No-Matter-What commitment. But there is more to this lesson.

We don’t have idols now…or do we? In O. S. Hawkins’ book, The Daniel Code, Chapter 9, Living With Pressure, he focusses on Daniel 3:1-12. He gives the passage a personal touch on page 82 with, “Many of us bow before the idols of Possessions – Projects – People – Pleasure.” Ouch!

I scored 4 for 4. I don’t like to admit it, but I have been worshipping at the foot of these four (Possessions – Projects – People – Pleasure) most of my life. I have seen things that caused me to work & scheme…to have and to hold onto at great cost. I worshipped to get it and worshipped to keep it.

I am like many men; I love the challenge of a project. I get lost in overcoming the challenge. I lose track of time & money to complete the project. I’m a “Look At That…Getter Done Guy.”

Then there are the people who live in our heads. Some we admire and want to be like…some we detest. I am particularly vulnerable to people idols, as God gave me the gift of connecting with people. Shamefully I have used this gift in the past for my purposes and not for His Purposes.

Then the Achilles heel, Pleasure! Everyone I know in some way bows to the idol of Pleasure. We rationalize our worship with “it’s not wrong or illegal” but it is the magnet that moves our chooser. We chose to be happy & comfortable. Now Sunday is just another Saturday. On Sunday the ballparks, lakes, stores are full while seats in church are empty. Many times, when I ask a man if he would like to join our Bible study he will reply, “I’m so busy.” That’s Man-Code for: “I am working on stuff…on a project…that involves other people…that will bring me pleasure.” Get this! None of these must be sinful to be idols. We can fool ourselves into thinking that the good and serving activities will somehow offset our not having personal time to worship Him in prayer & study. Know this. Satan is crafty enough to use good things to lead you away from the only Hope, Jesus. When I stop and think about it…these “Ps” are about me and not Him. They reflect my self-centered heart. That is exactly what Satan appealed to in Genesis 3.

Every Sunday morning my dear friend writes a note of encouragement on the whiteboard in our Sunday School room. God gave him this message to be included in this Today’s Good News. “Time is the only currency we spend without ever knowing our balance. Spend it wisely!” Jason Benbrook.

Here is what our Father told us in Exodus 20:2-8:

1. “You shall have no other gods before me.”
2. “You shall not make for yourself an image (idol) in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.”
3. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.”

These are non-negotiable…unchanging Laws of God. Only He has the authority to define or edit. Don’t let anyone fool you. Opinions are just that… opinions. Only God’s Word, the Bible, contains the Truth.