“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”

1 John 5:21

When you’re bored, you can take it to God or you can switch on your “favorites” playlist. When you’re depressed, you can run to the Lord, or you can run to the refrigerator. When you’re working, you can ask Jesus for His guidance, or you can become frantic about deadlines. When you’re between flights at the airport, you can spend a few minutes in prayer, or you can get absorbed in your iPhone.

All of us by nature are worshipers. The question is, do we worship God or the idols of our preference? We’re doing one or the other. Eventually, we will find that idols are utterly useless when we’re facing the major issues of life. Today’s Scripture is the closing line in the elderly apostle John’s heartfelt letter to fellow believers: “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” Today, make up your mind to take full advantage of God’s favor, grace, and companionship. Find out firsthand the incomparable help that can be yours.

Father, in these brief moments of my day, I set aside other voices, other interests, other attractions, and all those nagging reminders of “things to be done.” I turn to You. I open my heart to You. I release my anxieties and worries to You. In this moment, I want Your help—and Your help alone.