‘Do you think that all God wants are sacrifices – empty rituals, just for show? He wants you to look to Him! Plain listening is the thing, not lavish religious production.’ 1 Samuel 15:22-23 The Message.
I love the way The message puts things, so clear and in everyday language. But just think about what it says. In the western world we don’t do sacrifices, but often we do things that are just for show. ‘Don’t the church flowers look nice this week. By the way I arranged them,’ , ‘I had a record number of birthday cards this year, I must be popular!.’
By bringing conversations round to ourselves, we are idol worshipping, the idols being ourselves. In a conversation we do not have to be the centre of attention. We should not think of ourself more highly than ourselves. We probably idol worship more often than we think.