# 325 But I Don't Have Time For That

The Book of Genesis

Day 325

Ge 35:2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.  3 "Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone."

It has been put in Jacob’s heart to return to Bethel (the House of God)  This was the place where God had made a covenant with Jacob some 20 years ago. In that covenant, God said He would protect him and bring him safely to the promised land. For Jacob’s part, he had said “if you bring me back here, then you will be my God.” (I’m not even going to comment on that dog and pony show philosophy! It’s an age old approach to God that is still in use today. “God if you perform for me, then You will be my God.””

Let’s just ignore that for now, as God did here with Jacob and also seems to ignore at times today.

The fact of the matter is that push has given way to shove and if Jacob is going to keep his end of the deal, the foreign gods that he and his troupe have accumulated must go!  Jacob has allowed idolatry to creep into his life and God speaks to his heart in a way that Jacob knows the idols must go!

I think we have all been in this place at one time or another. Complacency sets in with our walk with Jesus, and slowly but surely our own little idols creep back in to our day to day living.  It would behoove us then, to set some time aside on a regular basis, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, or whatever it takes to spend some time alone with God!

While we are with Him in our prayer closet, let Him show us what we need to clean out and remove from our “idol” closet. What are those things in our lives that keep us from going all in with Jesus? Whatever those idols may be, purify yourself from them! Separate yourself from them! Change your garments that have been stained with the things of this world and your sins. Remember your baptism and put on the pure garment of Christ!

Ro 13:14 tells us: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

What? You say you don’t have that kind of time to sit, waiting on the Lord to show you the idols in your life? Well, if you want to return to Bethel (the House of God) something’s gotta give. You cannot serve two masters! And (ahem) if you don’t have time, ask yourself what idol is robbing you of that time?