Check Your Idols
I find reading the Bible is essential for all believers because it serves as a mirror for us. Otherwise, we could easily think we’re on the right path while in reality wandering aimlessly in the wrong direction. It’s scarily easy to wander away. Best intentions do not help when we follow our own whims instead of God’s plan for us. It’s time to check your idols.
Without the Bible, we’d be lost faster than we can imagine. We might think we’re not as clueless as the Israelites wandering away, building golden statues, and worshiping false idols. But we are, my friend. We are and we need correction just as much as them. Our idols just are a bit different, maybe even a bit sneakier to catch. That’s why we need the Bible as our mirror.
We seek safety from things rather than from God and without realizing these things become our idols, especially – it seems – if we are unable to secure them. Then we think if only we had this – house, position, popularity, success – then all would be well. But that’s not how it works. Money can’t buy you lasting things. When we run after meaningless things we become meaningless as Jeremiah puts it.
They followed worthless idols
and became worthless themselves.
(Jeremiah 2:5, NIV,*)
Check your idols
We don’t want to become worthless, do we? Why then we insist on finding our own way even when it leads to astray? We are too easily entertained with less than stellar things. Yet soft living leads to destruction. Why do we cling to unsatisfying things when God offers us the real thing?
“My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
(Jeremiah 2:13, NIV,*)
Why do we insist on our own systems – money, marriage, insurance, politics, religion, fame, power – would provide us what we need when they’re clearly broken down? Especially, when Jesus offers us living water for free?
Nothing in this world will bring you true and lasting happiness but Jesus. When we’re in love or when things are otherwise going well for us, we might not think so. Hence we might keep on putting these false idols on a pedestal and wander away from the one true God. So it’s time to check your idols.
You see, God is not against good things in life. Instead, we are told to strive first after God and his ways, and then also these things are given to us. God is holy and he wants us to acknowledge that. We need to keep him first and foremost in our minds. It takes discipline – like prayer and Bible-reading – to do so. Otherwise, our world starts to revolve around ourselves and our whims. And we become more worthless day by day. That’s not what we want, is it? No, we want more. We want the real thing. Thankfully, God is eagerly waiting for us. Let’s run to him.
Dear God,
Thank you for calling our names and waiting for us to come back to us.
Forgive us for centering our lives on us and not on you.
Show us how to live to honor you with everything we do.
In Jesus’ precious name,
Amen
Q4U: Do you follow your own whims or God’s plan for you?
Check your idols and be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you strive after God first!
