Moving back home after the school year ended was especially difficult. Because I have so much stuff! You know when you see in movies about the person having to sit on their suitcase to close it. That was me! My poor little car was so packed had someone wanted to go with me they would have had to sit in my refrigerator. But then when I got home came the worse problem. I had to put all that stuff away. Cram it in the bookcase shelves.
Sometimes we cram our lives with too much junk. And more importantly, sometimes we try to put stuff on the same shelf as God. We diminish God when we do this, saying He is no more worthy or our adoration than whatever idol we have. An make no mistake, idolatry isn't just bowing down to another image.
Our idols come in many forms. Mine happen to be my future career, beauty, boys, laziness, finding love, worry about being alone, and even sometimes friends. I get so preoccupied with these things that they tend to be all I think about. Sometimes I diminish it by saying, "Oh I'm just a hopeless romantic." No, I am an idolater. There's no side roads about it. And writing this I began to wonder, how much closer would my relationship with God be if I left Him on His own shelf. High and exalted above the rest.
And what's worse, idols stem from the heart. Ezekiel 14:3 "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?" It's like when you have a friend. And this friend and you used to be pretty close. But now your friend has other friends and could care less about you. In fact, they always put themselves over you. They often forget you and purposefully leave you out sometimes. If you had a friend like this they wouldn't be your friend for very long. In fact, you'd get to the point where you'd say "Why do you even bother talking to me? I'm not important to you at all!"
Deuteronomy 7:25 tells us that idols are an abomination to God. They are hateful to God. They are vain and foolish. (Psalm 115:4-8). Ouch. I don't know about you, but I don't want to worship anything that is an abomination to a Holy, Perfect, and Living God.
Our idols don't just affect us either. They pollute the name of God for others to see. Ezekiel 20:39, "“As for you, O people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go right ahead and worship your idols, but sooner or later you will obey me and will stop bringing shame on my holy name by worshiping idols." That's one of the harshest things you can be accused of. Bringing shame on a Holy and righteous name? No thank you!
Idolatry is also changing the truth of God into a lie. Romans 1:25 "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." This one I have a big time issues with. I focus so much on boys (and let's face it, some of them are pretty darn good looking) that I forget the Beautiful God who made them. Isaiah 44:20 "He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself..." Idols are ashes. They are the crap that remains after the fire has gone out. So why are we feeding on them? And how do we get the fire and passion for God back? Well, we cannot save ourselves, meaning we can't do it alone. And thank God we don't have to.
I am constantly reminded of when Peter walked on water. Matthew 14:28-31, "'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.' 'Come,' he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me! Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" Idols are the wind. They take our eyes off of Christ and we sink. Some of us even start to drown. But I love the hope that it gives when it says IMMEDIATELY as soon as Peter cried out, Jesus reached out and caught him. And Peter didn't fight him. Neither should we. Save it for "fighting your demons" as they say. You'll need it. In his book A Call to Die David Nasser writes, "When God shows you that something besides Him is occupying the center of your life, don't expect it to just melt away. It won't. Don't expect it to step down graciously. It won't. Don't expect it to come without a fight. It won't."
Sometimes we cram our lives with too much junk. And more importantly, sometimes we try to put stuff on the same shelf as God. We diminish God when we do this, saying He is no more worthy or our adoration than whatever idol we have. An make no mistake, idolatry isn't just bowing down to another image.
Our idols come in many forms. Mine happen to be my future career, beauty, boys, laziness, finding love, worry about being alone, and even sometimes friends. I get so preoccupied with these things that they tend to be all I think about. Sometimes I diminish it by saying, "Oh I'm just a hopeless romantic." No, I am an idolater. There's no side roads about it. And writing this I began to wonder, how much closer would my relationship with God be if I left Him on His own shelf. High and exalted above the rest.
And what's worse, idols stem from the heart. Ezekiel 14:3 "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?" It's like when you have a friend. And this friend and you used to be pretty close. But now your friend has other friends and could care less about you. In fact, they always put themselves over you. They often forget you and purposefully leave you out sometimes. If you had a friend like this they wouldn't be your friend for very long. In fact, you'd get to the point where you'd say "Why do you even bother talking to me? I'm not important to you at all!"
Deuteronomy 7:25 tells us that idols are an abomination to God. They are hateful to God. They are vain and foolish. (Psalm 115:4-8). Ouch. I don't know about you, but I don't want to worship anything that is an abomination to a Holy, Perfect, and Living God.
Our idols don't just affect us either. They pollute the name of God for others to see. Ezekiel 20:39, "“As for you, O people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go right ahead and worship your idols, but sooner or later you will obey me and will stop bringing shame on my holy name by worshiping idols." That's one of the harshest things you can be accused of. Bringing shame on a Holy and righteous name? No thank you!
Idolatry is also changing the truth of God into a lie. Romans 1:25 "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." This one I have a big time issues with. I focus so much on boys (and let's face it, some of them are pretty darn good looking) that I forget the Beautiful God who made them. Isaiah 44:20 "He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself..." Idols are ashes. They are the crap that remains after the fire has gone out. So why are we feeding on them? And how do we get the fire and passion for God back? Well, we cannot save ourselves, meaning we can't do it alone. And thank God we don't have to.
I am constantly reminded of when Peter walked on water. Matthew 14:28-31, "'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.' 'Come,' he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me! Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" Idols are the wind. They take our eyes off of Christ and we sink. Some of us even start to drown. But I love the hope that it gives when it says IMMEDIATELY as soon as Peter cried out, Jesus reached out and caught him. And Peter didn't fight him. Neither should we. Save it for "fighting your demons" as they say. You'll need it. In his book A Call to Die David Nasser writes, "When God shows you that something besides Him is occupying the center of your life, don't expect it to just melt away. It won't. Don't expect it to step down graciously. It won't. Don't expect it to come without a fight. It won't."
Idolatry really is in some ways discontentment. It is greed. You are not satisfied with what you have so you yearn for more. But God is more than enough. He is Everything, so He should be your Everything. And He has promised that He will help you fight your idols. He will change your heart. Ezekiel 36:26, "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender and responsive heart."
"To live for Christ, I first must die to all the rivals in my life. Only You can satisfy."
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