Jonah 2:8-9 “Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”

What are worthless idols? Well, an idol is anything that we put before God. So, anything can be an idol. Maybe it is fishing, maybe it is shopping or maybe it is money. Whatever it could be, compared to the Lord it is worthless. I can hear the statements now. What if it is doing something that lets me spend time with my children! My answer would be who is the One that allowed you to have your children? Who protects them?

In reality, we should be teaching our children to love the God of our creation. This is an eternal investment for them and you. We also need to think of Jonah as he made these statements. He is in the belly of a great fish. God prepared this fish specifically for this moment. Jonah was praying and realizing his mistake trying to run from God’s command. This could be us running from God to worship our idols. God will not spare anything to try and influence your life to come to know Him.

Idols are worthless. A relationship with God is priceless. How do we know this? Because God sent Jesus to this world to save us. If there was any other way, do you not think God would have chosen it. You are loved with a love that is hard to understand. In fact, when you truly understand what Jesus sacrificed, you will start to understand the extent of that love. Now you can understand the problem with having idols. Jesus is not second in anything. All will know this one day.