The last verse of “What I Live For” by George Linnaeus Banks: “I live for those who love me, Whose hearts are kind and true, For heaven that smiles above me, And waits my spirit too; For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that I can do.”1 I’ve loved that poem since I memorized part of it in elementary school. Now I see its subtle idolatry.
How many causes need assistance? How many wrongs need resistance? More than we can count. How do we choose what to do? Did God create us to find purpose in whatever good we do? No.
Our purpose is to do the specific good deeds God has planned. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). To discern them, we must remain dependent on God.
We can offer assistance and resistance and do what most people call good things without any faith connection to Jesus the Vine. Secular philanthropists do it all the time.
Our purpose is not doing good things for God per se. It is abiding in Jesus who is the ultimate source of those good things (John 15:5).
“He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them” (2 Corinthians 5:15 NLT).
Many find purpose in helping people without living for Christ. The good things they do make them feel good, but those feelings are the enemy of the best—knowing and living for Jesus. As it is, the giver receives glory and good feelings, but God gets no glory. It’s the off-centered living of idolatry.
The Apostle John instructs us to keep ourselves from idols (1 John 5:21). The Apostle Paul tells us to flee idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14). God is the only worthy center for life. But the idolater organizes life around someone or something else.
These people or things that are God’s rivals fill our minds and time. They receive too much of our money. Our hearts march to their beats. We aren’t God-centered and God-governed. We think we’re self-governed, but numerous misdirected loyalties rule our lives.
The gods of Egypt were thought to rule many parts of life. The Egyptians worshipped many gods to maximize their blessings.
The children of Israel lived in Egypt for more than 400 years. Egyptian beliefs surely influenced them, but God commanded them not to imitate their former masters and worship many gods (Leviticus 20:1–6).
God compared worshipping other gods to prostitution (Isaiah 1:21–22). He wasn’t their first love. The church is Christ’s bride (Ephesians 5:22–33). He doesn’t want to share her with anyone else.
Today, other gods compete with God’s demand for exclusive worship. We can identify them by reflecting on where we find our identity, security, and meaning. Is God our defining passion? What competes with Him for our thoughts, time, money, and energy?
A few of the candidates follow. Relationships? Appearance? Success? Power? Sex? Reputation? Safety? Pride? Pleasure? Prestige? Possessions? Cause? Image? Dreams? Vocational goals? Others’ approval? Greed? Self-seeking priorities? Jealousy? Prejudice? Doing what is easiest?
What are the consequences of our idolatry? When God doesn’t reign, fear and anxiety take His place.
God sent Israel into captivity because of idolatry. Idolatry is captivity. Whatever we value more than God controls us. We probably need numerous "idolectomies." Let’s consider some things we might need to remove.
A “Christian” faith without denying ourselves and following Jesus. A Jesus that isn’t fully God and fully man. A human religious authority to whom we bow. A “God” that fits our whims and convenience. A much too small “man upstairs.” Modern idolatry is everywhere. Do you know why people worship idols? #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources
See free spiritual growth resources for Christians at https://www.christiangrowthresources.com
God has empowered me to write “His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength.” It’s a free evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship eBook. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead more than 2,400 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 5,217 people. I invite you to check it out. https://www.christiangrowthresources.com/his-power-for-your-weakness
Commenti