NO. LIVERMORE — At the North Livermore Baptist Church April 25 service, the congregation was welcomed in by Pastor Bonnie Higgins at 9:30 a.m. to begin the service.

The Call to Worship was read and the Invocation/Lord’s Prayer was recited. The hymns that were sung was “Standing on the Promises”, “Trust and Obey”, “We are Called to be God’s People”. We completed the service with “Go Now in Peace”. Linda Lyman is the organist each week.

The sermon, titled “Idols”, and reading the scripture from Exodus 20:1-6. Pastor Bonnie also read from Psalm 115:2-8. Pastor Bonnie began with examples of people and things that we don’t consider as idols but we actually make them idols. People like athletes, TV stars, movie stars, singers, money, cars, boats, homes, etc. Basically, anyone or thing we put above God is an idol. She gave the example from scriptures of when the people of Israel wanted a “real” god and they came up and erected a statue of a calf. They thought Moses and God were taking too long to get them a god. God knew their weakness then and He knows our weakness now, that is why He said that we should have no gods above Him.

Pastor Bonnie explained that many people today put more faith in their horoscopes and Astrology than in God. Many people worship the stars, moon, and the sun over Him. They will worship angels, demons, and other imaginary gods in place of the real God. People will worship statues, such as statues of Mary, Crosses, Jesus, the Crucifix and any other statues. You see, some of these statues are religious things but they aren’t God. When we go to these things and pray to them, you are actually saying they are above God. Nothing is above Him. Some even will worship things from the seas. Many people worship their jobs, money and what money can buy for them. It is not wrong to work hard and make money. God does not have a problem with that, actually He encourages people to work and to make money. What you do with the money is what is the problem. If you work hard and save money for a boat and buy the boat, God is fine with that. What He is not fine with, is when you decide that you are going boating every Sunday morning instead of worshiping Him with others as they gather together. It is all about the intent of your purchases.

God is a jealous God and He doesn’t want to share you with anything else. Remember, it is a sin to put anything above God. He wants your attention. Our devotion to be to Him and only Him. Your idols in your life define you. When someone asks you, who are you? And you answer about your job and other things first, then that is what you worship. If you start off with, I am a Christian and believe in a loving God, then that is your idol, God.

Many people believe that since we are in 2021, that the world has changed since God has told us that we are to have no one above Him. The God that we worship is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God’s Words are still true today. We need to remember that what our idols are in our lives today will be passed down to our children and their children etc. If we don’t show them that God is important in our lives, what will they seek, the world or God? We don’t need approval of things in this world, we only need the approval from God, in whom we worship. What is in your life that is your idol? What do you put first, the things in this world or God?

Announcements listed in the bulletin was that the congregation will be collecting any dry pasta for the month of May. Upcoming in the church, on May 2 there will be an Advisory meeting after church. On May 8th will be the Deacons and Trustees meetings. The AA meetings are held on Friday nights at the church.

For information, check out the new website at northlivermorebaptistchurch.org. Also, on the North Livermore Baptist Church’s Facebook page the sermon is posted and on their website is a link to YouTube for the sermon. You can email the church at nlbcmaine@gmail.com. Pastor Bonnie’s office hours are Monday and Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

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