Friday Faith Check-up: Idolatry Has a Price

"What each one honors before all else, what before all things he admires and loves, this for him is God." - Origen

Have you ever really stopped and considered how much of our lives are consumed with idolatry in various forms? Believe me, there's no shortage of examples to choose from out there! So much of the world in which we live is permeated by idols and the worship thereof.

Some idols are subtle and fly just under the radar, while others are standing right there in your face. Is one better than the other? Of course not! Idolatry or idol worship is bad, no matter what kind it is. God has a lot to say about idolatry, and none of it is complimentary (Exodus 20:3-6).

People in biblical times struggled with it as much as we do today. The times might be different, the idols may be different, but their worship is as widespread as it has ever been. It's definitely a problem whether you believe it is or not. And unless we address it, it will continue to manipulate and ruin lives.

In her book, Finding Truth, Nancy Pearcey says this about how differently we define idolatry than the Bible: "Scripture treats the topic of idolatry far more subtly. An idol is anything we want more than God, anything we rely on more that God, anything we look to for greater fulfillment than God. Idolatry is thus the hidden sin driving all other sins."

Though we are inundated with many idols, the idolatry we seem to be dealing with most in our modern age is centered around the worship of self. We may no longer worship idols and images as in those long ago days. Instead, they have been replaced by a different god on the altar of worship, and that god is self.

As mentioned, the selection of idols is vast. Here, I have identified some of the most common forms for you. The most well-known form is materialism. This god is fed by our need to build our egos through acquiring more and more things (e.g., homes, cars, money, clothes). Another name for this is covetousness (Exodus 20:17).

Next up...our pride and ego. The easiest illustration I can think of is our obsession with jobs and careers. I know one must work in order to survive and provide. But it becomes a problem when we are deceived into thinking that we are doing it for others. When the ugly truth is we are really doing it for ourselves. God knows well how this scenario will eventually turn out (Ecclesiastes 2:21-23).

The idolizing of man (mankind) is the illusion that we are the rulers of the heavens and earth. We tune out God because we know so much better. We are in charge of our world and all that encompasses it, or so we believe. Not so fast! It's our duty to focus on living holy lives and on Him alone who is deserving of our worship, not our environment (2 Peter 3:10-13).

The last idol I will touch on today is the god of self-appeasement. This god is served by our desire for self-gratification over all else. Our own self-indulgence is fueled by alcohol, drugs, and food. Naturally, we pay the price for worshiping this god with our health, welfare, families, and jobs. The insatiable drive to make ourselves the god of our lives has long been with us (Genesis 3:5).

The idolatry of self is not unfamilar, nor is it unknown. 1 John 2:16 describes three lusts found at its nucleus. The key element across the board is "self." We will never find true happiness focusing on us exclusively. Only by centering our hearts and thoughts on God will we find what we are looking for (Matthew 22:37).

Scripture: Jonah 2:8; 1 John 5:21; Colossians 3:5; Psalm 16:4; 1 Corinthians 10:14

Prayer: Dear Lord, may I always walk in Your light, and serve you faithfully. Amen

Have a blessed and safe weekend!

Kaye