“What Controls You?” - August 24, 2017

By Presiding Elder Rev. Gregory L. Edmond
"And all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage."
NKJV
What do you worship? Let me ask it this way, "What or who controls you?"
 Chances are that the person or thing that controls you is also the thing you worship. In our "enlightened" society we may not create idols of gold or silver but we still have 50 inch flat screens that we sit in front of for hours at a time. It may not be an object, it may be a person. Husband, wife, child or even a boyfriend or girlfriend could be elevated to the point of our worship.
In short, anything we place above God in importance is an idol we are worshiping.
In the book of Esther, Mordecai was commanded to worship Haman and yet he refused because he knew it was wrong. He was not going to allow himself to be controlled by an evil official. He knew what was right and therefore refused to worship anyone besides God.
My Sisters and my Brothers, we can learn from Mordecai. If there is anything in your life besides God that you may be worshipping, it's time to stop. Ask the Lord to reveal to you any idols you may have created and seek God's forgiveness and grace. He will gladly give it to you and help you to find the joy that comes from worshipping Him and Him alone.
Life Lesson: We are to worship, or be controlled by, God and God alone.
Dear God,
We are sorry for those times we have placed other things in front of You. We know that we have worshipped lesser things, and we ask that You would forgive us. Fill us with Your Spirit and give us the strength to worship and be controlled by You alone. In Jesus' name,
Amen.

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