Shop 'Till You Drop, ~ A Devotional

                                             SHOP 'TILL YOU DROP A Devotional 

 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 (KJV)

It was Friday and payday!  I left work and drove to the nearest big box store, grabbed a cart, and away I went with my list.  I always checked my favorite sections of the store first to find any new items.

 It was a week before Christmas and the store was alive with festive decorations of the season, music flowing from the speakers, and glittering gorgeous merchandise filling each department.  I pushed the cart, humming to myself as my eyes eagerly found shiny décor and Santa ornaments that I added to my cart.

 Later, as I stood in the checkout line, my hungry eyes moved over the full cart.  Playing the guessing game, I tried to guess how much the purchases would add up to.  I felt a tug of guilt, but quickly dismissed it as I swiped my debit card to pay for all of it.

 When I arrived home, my husband helped me bring in sack after sack.  I was quick to grab those bags that held the stuff that had tempted me.  Hopefully, he would not notice when those new ornaments were hanging on our Christmas tree or placed strategically throughout the house. 

Each room in our house looked like a craft show, filled with stuff.  Collections were found all over the house: Santas, snowmen, holiday décor, big things, little things, and everything in between.

 Yes, shopping was definitely my thing.  As I prepared supper, I boasted to myself that I was the Queen of shopping and I wore that crown proudly!  I loved collecting everything that caught my eye.  Buying and collecting stuff satisfied me. 

 When I read my daily devotional the next day, it told the story about the Philistines and the Ark of God.  They carried the pagan fish-god Dagon into the temple and placed it beside the Ark of the Covenant.  The next morning the people of Ashdod found the Dagon god had fallen on its face to the floor in front of the ark of God.  They set Dagon upright again next to the Ark.  But the next morning, they found the god again had fallen to the floor, but this time the head and palms of the hands were broken off and lay on the doorstep.  Only Dagon’s torso was left intact.

God dealt mightily with the people and the Ark of the God of Israel was eventually returned to its rightful place.  Samuel spoke to the Israelites telling them to serve only one true god, the God of Abraham.

 The question from the devotional asked readers if they served gods other than our Heavenly Father.  Gods, as in little carved statues made out of wood, marble, plastic or cloth?  Nope, no gods in my house!  Or was there? 

  I pondered that question and I was led to the Ten Commandments found in the Book of Exodus.  The third commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” 

 I looked around the living room and saw the gods I proudly displayed.  My house was full of all the things I had spent money on.  I was ashamed of myself.  Material things, all of it. 

I remembered the verse in Matthew 6:19, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.”   And a few verses on down where Jesus tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

 I studied these verses for some time and took a real look at myself.  The Lord showed me that I had an addiction.  The addiction of spending money on frivolous material possessions.  And those possessions were my gods.  I had taken on a bad habit that got out of control.

While collecting things is not a sin, spending money frivolously on those little gods is.  Once I saw my sin of exorbitant spending, I dug deeper and discovered that the root cause was due to problems in my life.  When a problem sprung up, instead of dealing with it and solving it, shopping was my escape.

 Today I am happy to say that I have kicked the habit of spending money needlessly.  I have healed from the addiction to stuff and the compulsive behavior.  I shop sensibly and intentionally. 

 I have learned that it’s nice to have a beautiful home, but do not allow things to become pagan gods.  Serve the one true God of all things holy.

 Let us pray.  Father God, help me be sensible when it comes to spending money and not wasting it on frivolous material things that may become a pagan god in my life. Help me keep my eyes on you and follow Jesus.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen

 SCRIPTURES FOR TOAY 

Matthew 6:19, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal.” (NKJV) Matthew 6:33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (NKJV)

 REFLECT AND RESPOND

Are you addicted to compulsive buying?  Do you absently collect items just because you love them?  Do you have other bad habits that take the place of honoring God?  Ask Father God to show you so that you can repent and take charge of those bad habits before they ruin your life.

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