The question isn’t whether we worship—it’s what or whom we worship.
When people reject the one true God, they don’t stop worshiping. Instead, they create substitutes. Those substitutes may look religious, political, philosophical, or even deeply personal. They promise freedom, fulfillment, or purpose, but they ultimately lead us farther from the God who made us.
Today’s Old Testament reading gives us one of Scripture’s darkest examples. King Ahaz became so devoted to false worship that he sacrificed his own children. And even after God allowed severe consequences, he refused to repent. Instead, he doubled down on the very false religion that was destroying him.
As shocking as that sounds, false worship didn’t end in the Old Testament. It simply wears different clothes today.
So how do we recognize the modern idols competing for our hearts? And how can we be sure we’re worshiping the true God rather than a more comfortable substitute we’ve created for ourselves?
Few issues create stronger emotions than abortion.
For many people, it isn’t merely a political issue—it’s deeply personal. Behind the debates, slogans, and headlines are real people carrying real pain, difficult circumstances, hard questions, and sometimes deep regret.
Questions like:
Is abortion always wrong?
What about rape or incest?
Is abortion an unforgivable sin?
What about women or men who already carry the weight of past decisions?
How should Christians respond—with truth, compassion, or both?
These are not questions we can afford to answer carelessly.
As followers of Christ, we are called to think biblically, not politically first. Our views must be shaped by God’s Word, His character, and His heart for both truth and mercy.
In today’s readings, Psalm 68 reminds us that God is a Father to the fatherless and a defender of the vulnerable. And that truth has profound implications for how we think about the unborn, human dignity, and the value of every life.
At the same time, we must remember something equally important: no sin places someone beyond God’s grace.
Today’s study is not only about life in the womb. It is also about forgiveness, repentance, hope, and the mercy available through Christ.
Is the desire to know the secret things about the future, our lives, or those close to us wrong? Is it permissible for Christians to visit people who claim to know things we don’t? Or are there secret things that God has not revealed and that we are forbidden to seek apart from Him and His Word? And is it possible that Satan and his demons use people who claim to know those secret things to deceive us by sounding religious or harmless?
We all sin every day, but there are some sins that God names as those He hates. One is “hands that shed innocent blood.” With the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade concerning abortion, we have reason to hope that laws can be passed to, at least, limit it. But laws don’t change hearts. There is only one real source of hope. We need to be sure we put our trust there.
Also … do you have someone in your life who is difficult? Maybe it’s your boss, your co-worker, your mother-in-law, or a child you dearly love. Whoever it is (and most of us have someone), how do you think about that relationship and how well do you deal with it?
