“Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.'” – Joshua 7:13

Frank Sinatra’s daughter, Tina Sinatra, recalls her father’s unceasing drive to succeed and make money, even when his health was at risk:

“His health was in tatters and his life mired in financial wrangles, but my father refused to stop giving concerts, ‘I’ve just got to earn more money,’ he said. His performances, sad to say, were becoming more and more uneven. Uncertain of his memory, he became dependant on teleprompters.

When I saw him at Desert Inn in Las Vegas, he struggled through the show and felt so sick at the end that he needed oxygen from a tank that he kept on hand. At another show he forgot the lyrics to ‘Second Time Around,’ a ballad he had sung a thousand times. His adoring audience finished it for him. I couldn’t bear to see Dad struggle. I remembered all the times he repeated the old boxing maxim ‘You gotta get out before you hit the mat.’

After seeing one too many of these fiascos, I told him, ‘Pop, you can stop now; you don’t have to stay on the road.’ With a stricken expression he said, ‘No, I’ve got to earn more money. I have to make sure everyone is taken care of.'” When Frank Sinatra died in 1998, he left more than 200 million dollars to his heirs. Since his death there have been constant family wrangles over his fortune.

Our hearts can only be devoted to one thing. Today in prayer, exam your life and see if anything competes with the Lord for your devotion. And if something other than the Lord holds your devotion, ask the Lord to give you strength to remove it from your life.

“An idol is anything you turn to for help when God told you to turn to him for help.” – Henry Blackaby

God’s Word: “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” – 1 John 5:21

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2003, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN JOSHUA, JUDGES AND RUTH pkennedy@devotional.com