July 19 – 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29 – 31, & Psalms 48

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29 – 31, & Psalms 48. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Examine your church, or even your own faith, do you have any sacred cows? A sacred cow in church vocabulary is something that is worshiped and held to a high level that isn’t God himself. Maybe for you and your church it might be the stained glass windows that were dedicated by a family years before in the churches history. Maybe for your church it is a program or event that has been done for years. Maybe it is a song that is sung at the beginning of service. Those types of things tend to be corporate sacred cows to churches. Maybe you have them in your own life as well.

Now sacred cows are not wrong (we wouldn’t call them sacred cows at that point, just worship aids) if held with the right perspective and the right attitude. There is nothing wrong with stained glass windows, traditional church programs, or even specific songs that are sung. However, when they are held at a level of worship that if they are damaged, done away with, or changed, and you or your church get all bent out shape, then you have a problem. You are letting an object, or a thing get in your way of worshiping God; they may have even taken the place of worshiping God. That is wrong!

We see this happen today in our reading. When the Israelites were in the wilderness after the Exodus because of sin God set snakes to strike and kill. To save his people God instructed Moses to erect a bronze snake that if they looked at it they would be saved. This was kept to remind them of this, to not fall into sin, and to follow God. But by the time Hezekiah rules in Judah, the people are now offering sacrifices to this bronze snake. What does Hezekiah order, he orders it destroyed.

Friends that is the right move. It might have been hard and sad to see such an important reminder destroyed, but it was necessary. When something becomes a hindrance in our worship to God, or even takes our worship to God, we have to eradicate it from our lives. Maybe this has been recognized by leaders in your church and they have done away with something. Examine your heart, find out why you are upset and then determine if you are in the wrong. Be honest with your selves, have you allowed something to become a sacred cow that should not be?