Love so amazing,
so divine,
demands my soul,
my life, my all.
When we allow the things of this life to become more important and more pressing than our relationship with Him, we have embraced an idol. And, God is clear in His Word that He detests idols. He is clear in His Word that those who embrace idols are fools. He is deeply grieved at the presence of idols that eliminate our ability to experience His fullness. Let's look at some examples of modern-day idols that I listed two blogs ago:
When you devote so much time, thought, and energy on issues pertaining to your family that you neglect the development of your relationship with your Lord, your study of His Word, and your obligation of service to His Kingdom, your family has become an idol.
Your Job
When your devotion to your career becomes more of a priority than your devotion to growing in your walk with God, your job has become an idol.
Beauty and The Physical Body
When it feels important to you to be beautiful and when you therefore spend a disproportionate amount of time and money doing or buying what you believe will make you beautiful, your body has become an idol. If you experience emotional turmoil when you fail to meet what you consider to be the cultural definition of beauty, your body has become an idol. Your physical beauty has become more important than your inner, spiritual beauty.
TV//Internet/Technology/Hobbies/Athletics
When you are willing to spend hours engaged in any of these activities, yet unwilling to spend that same amount of time in bible study or ministry to others, they have become an idol. When these activities bring you more pleasure and enjoyment than the activities of the Kingdom of God, they have become an idol.
Education
When the pursuit of an education and the attainment of degrees replaces the priority of seeking, knowing, and doing God's will for one's life, education has become an idol.
Busyness
When our calendar is filled with such busyness - even church busyness - that we do not have time to be quiet in the presence of the Lord (seeking Him through His Word and allowing Him to speak to us, convict us, change us, etc), we are far too busy. Busyness has become an idol.
Sexual Gratification
When we seek after sexual gratification in any way outside of the marriage covenant, therefore knowingly disobeying our Heavenly Father, sex has become an idol. When our commitment to the Lord is less important that feeding our desires, those desires have become idols.
Food/Alcohol/Cigarettes/Substances
When we mindlessly and regularly turn to these things to provide comfort, satisfaction, and temporary escape - rather than allowing the Lord to meet those needs - they have become an idol. When we're more interested in feeding our appetites than in submitting our flesh to the Lord, those appetites have become idols.
Medicine and Doctors
When we regularly place a large amount of hope, trust, and confidence in medicine and doctors to fix our ailments, and do not feel a need to consult The Great Physician for His healing solutions, the world of medicine has become an idol.
Money Material Possessions
When we feel a real sense of need to have money and things, when it is important to continue attaining more money and more things, and when we find ourselves constantly comparing what we have to what others have, money and material possessions have become an idol.
The Supernatural, Astrology and Horoscope
When we place value in non-biblical, supernatural, or astrological sources for information and guidance concerning events of this life, these things have become an idol.
Shew......now that I've written all of that I'm realizing I need to get busy dethroning some idols! Perhaps you can say the same?
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