Face To Faithનમૂનો

I’ll tell you something that’s really tricky. It is tricky—I mean hard, super hard—to get through this life without idols.

I hear you saying to me, “Idols? You gotta be crazy, Bob. Idols are a thing of the past; I
don’t have any stone or gold statues sitting in my house.”

Right, probably not, but those statues are merely an image of something that becomes
more important to you than God. I do not believe that Paul would have warned us against idolatry if it was so simple a thing that we could look around our living room and say, “I don’t have any idols.”

We have to look deeper, and here are some questions that will help us:

What is your greatest accomplishment or affection? Maybe your identity is wrapped up in piling up sports accolades or promotions at work. Perhaps you love your hobbies or your friends more than you love God.

What is your greatest fear? If you fear something more than you fear falling short of God’s call then you will serve an idol whenever you are forced to choose between the two. When faced with the choice of losing your job or following unethical orders from your boss, which fear wins out?

What is your greatest desire in life? Is it all about God or is it about you? “I just want to be accepted. I just have to find a spouse. I just want more kids. I need that new flat screen.” These aren’t all bad things, but are they more important to you than God?

What is your greatest comfort and joy? Are you just counting off the days until your next vacation or can you recoup in the presence of God right now?

What is your greatest frustration? Idols aren’t always things we pursue; sometimes we find them by examining what ticks us off the most. Are those holy soapboxes, or are you just im- patient with traffic? Do you trust God with your life, or do politics determine whether things are good or bad?

When you look for idols in your life, don’t look around your living room. Take these questions and look around your heart.

Prayer
Father God,
You are God above all else! Show me anything in my life that has become more important to me than You. Please help me to keep the right focus and live my life for You!
Amen