Listen to today’s devo!

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything . . . you shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Deut. 5:8–9)

Expanded Passage: Deuteronomy 5:8-11

Because of the family I was formed in, I have been the butt of many an April Fools’ joke. I’ve gone to bed with shorted sheets and woke to alarm clocks set to mess up my morning routine. I have to admit that I’ve done a few of these pranks on my students and friends myself. Still, one day of pranks is not as harmful to people as the way we fool ourselves into worshiping earthly forms in place of God.

This commandment against making idols seems antiquated and irrelevant to our contemporary lives. We may not feel tempted to worship golden calves or to build shrines to pantheistic gods. Western Christians often feel superior to those in developing counties who practice animistic religions as they form their gods from wood and clay. Sometimes, the idols we create are far more seductive as we turn ideas and concepts into concrete images. Idols like capitalism (wealth), politics (power), or celebrity (sensuality) are far harder to notice and destroy. Some make their families into idols, their careers, even their political ideologies. We worship them by giving them our allegiance and offering our lives to them.

When we make Jesus Lord of our lives, everything else is idolatry. We must not be fooled into believing that the created is the Creator—and turn anything in this world into an idol.

Tear down one idol that you have erected in your life.

Rich Eckley is professor emeritus of theology at Houghton University (NY). He is an ordained Wesleyan minister, and enjoys—with his wife Lynn—entertaining their active grandchildren.

© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.