Dollar Tree is Sinful?

I posted a funny story about one of our sons the other day, but today I want to tell one about our daughter, Lauren.

Lauren was about five or six years old. She and I - plus her brothers - we were driving down the road in Altus on a Sunday afternoon.  We were close to a Dollar Tree store.  She asked me why in that morning's sermon the preacher had said it was wrong to go to Dollar Tree.  Not sure I was hearing her correctly, I moved the rear view mirror down so that I could see her face as she was talking.  Again she said the same thing, "Why did the preacher say it was wrong to go to Dollar Tree?"

Only then did I realize what she was thinking.  That morning our preacher had talked about the sin of IDOLATRY.  Lauren was only hearing Dollar Tree!  It was so funny, but I didn't want to laugh at her.  I quickly moved the mirror back up so she couldn't see my face, but then went on to explain to her what idolatry meant. This story is funny, but the message that morning about the sin of idolatry isn't funny at all.  It's sin. 

What is idolatry?  Quite simply it is whatever is put in front of God in our lives....whatever we allow to become #1.  If we allow our jobs to become the most important thing in life, then it's become our idol.  We could say the same thing about money, about food, clothing, entertainment, pleasure, and even our families. 

Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.

1 Samuel 12:21

"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.  Exodus 20:3-5

As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

1 Corinthians 8:4

Nothing should come between us and God - even Dollar Tree!