What is your king?

Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect....When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes. - Esther 3:1-2,5-6

Mordecai became hated because he refused to bow to Haman. As a result, his entire race was endangered. Mordecai had decided before this moment ONLY to bow to his God. It would have been so much easier for him just to bow to Haman, but his principles wouldn't allow it.

In America, we bow to a lot of things. We bow to celebrities, whether they're on the big screen, small screen, or playing field. We bow to the clothes they wear and the cars they drive and the houses they (and we) live in. We bow to booze and to sex and some of us to drugs, and anything that makes it easier or less painful to get through the day. We have a lot of kings.

But those things, no matter how innocuous they seem, get in the way of our relationship with God. I know it's hard to connect how watching the Olympics interferes with our relationship with God, but it can. I was watching beach volleyball last night with my bible in front of me, and I frequently stopped reading the Word to watch Misty May destroy the Brazilians. So, who was my king in that moment?

It's the same with all of us. I don't know what your thing is, and it doesn't really matter to me. If you bow to it, if you allow yourself to be consumed by it, then your thing is really your king. You are hostage to it.

But God sent His son to set the hostages free. Bow to Him and you will be free.