Two Choices

Over and over as I child I was told, "Just two choices on the shelf, pleasing God or pleasing self."  And now as a mom, that is something I am always striving to teach my boys.  They know there are books, tv shows, music, etc that doesn't make God happy.  When we love someone, we desire to do those things that make them happy ~ are the things you're doing making God happy?  Or are they building a wall between you and the Lord?  Are you making the Lord a priority in your life?  Or is Satan excited over the room you have given him in your home?

Each time I hear this song and the lyrics "idols raised, tear them down", I can't help but think about what idols we have in our home.  No we don't have a golden calf that we worship, but do we have things that we put before the Lord?  Anything that we put before the Lord is an idol!  How much time do we spend on our computers? Exercising? Reading? Watching TV?  What about work? Money?  None of those things are outright bad things, but when you spend more time with those things than you do with the Lord, they have become idols in our lives! 

My greatest desire is for my family to serve the Lord.  Never will we be perfect and there will always be things for us to work on, but the most important thing we can ask ourselves is if we are pleasing God with the choices we are making for ourselves and our family.  If we could physically see the Lord sitting next to us, would we watch the same tv shows?  Read the same books?  Listen to the same music?

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” 
   ~ Mark 8:34