This is the text copy of the devotion I presented in my Souls Week stream of Curse of the Dead Gods on Thursday, October 31, 2024. You can watch/listen to the highlight on Twitch by clicking here.
My original plan for the Extra Life marathon this week was a joke. Not in the sense that it was going to be terrible, but that I found it amusing and felt others would, too. That plan? Make myself suffer through a Dark Souls game, dying repeatedly for the entertainment of viewers, letting them take joy in my frustrations and potentially donate pity dollars to Extra Life. People have always enjoyed the Souls games simply because they’re difficult, and it took me a long time to understand why that was good in their mind.
Welcome to Souls Week: my week-long marathon for Extra Life, but also a series of discussions about why starting again and persistently struggling isn’t as bad as it sounds. This is Day 5: Idolater’s Forfeit.
Today’s game, Curse of the Dead Gods, lays it all out for you in its title. The main character–for a hero he is not–goes seeking riches in old temples, and of course encounters the foul powers and beings within them. Because of his greed he has to contend with curses in his bid to survive and acquire what he wants. This makes for a great dungeon crawler game, but is something we are explicitly warned against in the Bible.
Most Christians can recite the Ten Commandments, but they will often start with the (quote, unquote) “easier” ones: no stealing, no murdering, no lying about your neighbor… but what about the first few lines of Exodus 20? God specifically tells us that He is our Lord and we should not have any other gods before him OR worship an idol. A lot of modern Christians correlate this with the golden calf the Israelites were worshiping when Moses first returned from receiving the commandments, but an idol is and can be much more than a physical statue. Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
That’s right, greed is idolatry. It is a facet of the idolatry of Self. Being selfish means you are putting yourself first and not God. Anything that is self-serving–such as lying, lust, or taking someone else’s life–can be a form of idolatry. But the examples don’t stop there! Can’t put down that smartphone? Idolatry. Can’t be seen in social circles without a Stanley cup in hand? Idolatry. Obsessed with followers on your TikTok, Instagram or Twitch channel? Idolatry. Obsessed with making more money to buy more stuff simply because other people have it? Idolatry.
While we play games like today’s because it is a challenge and our competitive spirit of play tells our brains it’s fun to see how far we can get without dying and still acquire the treasure, we should in no way glorify the mindset and objective of the player’s character. Ephesians 5:5 says, “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” So by indulging in all of these idolatrous things, by allowing ourselves to be greedy, we forfeit the promises of God, and that includes salvation. To be saved we are to work daily at our own sanctification, to live more like Christ and give more to others. Jesus himself tells us in Matthew 22:37-39, “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
If you need further convincing, look no further than the character in today’s game (whom I can assure is going to die many, many times since I’m the one with the controller)--in the interest of acquiring more (greed), he will have to sacrifice (be cursed and most likely die). In the game, his death means starting over with any advantages that were unlocked, but in reality… death is permanent and the reason why we should strive to be closer to God as we traverse the fallen world we live in. Jeremiah 17:11 says, “Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay are those who gain riches by unjust means. When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them, and in the end they will prove to be fools.”
Consider the examples I’ve mentioned today. Is greed getting in your way? Are you forfeiting the promises of God, of the security of eternity, for the fool’s fleeting comfort of the present? Proverbs 1:19 says, “Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.” Take whatever steps you need to take–big or small–to correct any idolatry happening in your life, and remember that Jesus told everyone at the Sermon on the mount to lay up their treasures in heaven, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
God, thank you so much for every listener hearing my words today, whether they’re watching the stream or checking out the video at a later time. Help us all to let go of the many things in this world that will fade and disappoint, to seek You out in every good thing that exists or can be done. Help us to love the lost, love each other, and love You so that we may lay up our treasures in heaven. In your holy name I pray. Amen.
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