last week i proposed that there are six things that often become idols in our lives and we looked at three of them. Here is the second set of potential idols in our lives.
WORK
In line
with the love of money is that of work. Some people are workaholics and pride
themselves in it. They dream, breath and live work. Now we are supposed to work
and do so with excellence, in fact the bible tell us that whatever our heart
finds to do we should do it mightily as unto the Lord. Laziness is sin! My
concern however is when work takes first priority in our lives and we begin to
neglect other important responsibilities such as our worship of God and
fellowship with other believers, (Hebrews 10:24-25), playing our role in the
building of other believers (Ephesians 4:12-16) and spreading of the gospel to
the lost (Matt 20:18-20) these thing s are the reason we exist and it is
important to note that God has placed us in our work places so that we might be
light. The other responsibility that suffers when idolize work is that of
family. When your family is suffering or been neglected because of work then
you are not glorifying God. Either you are outside his will or you have
misplaced priorities.
CHURCH
AND MINISTRIES
This must
come as a shock to some, but sadly church and our ministries can easily become idols.
It is very possible to love and be dedicated to your church and not be dedicated
to the God of the church just as it is possible to be devoted to the bible but
not the God of the bible. There are people who love their churches and will
give their all to what the church does and its programs yet are totally far
away from God. To them the church is just like a club that they are a part of
and pay subscription fee. They are willing to defend the church and its
confession of faith but yet their faith is not in God. They adore and revere
their pastors but have no regard or fear for God. The same can be said about
our ministries. We can easily be intoxicated with praise, our ability, our
sense of importance and success. At the very core of sin is man’s desire to be
on the throne and we seek to build our little empires through the ministries we
have regards of the type or size. This is nothing but idolism! I am not in any
way saying we should not be committed to the church and our ministries, but we
should constantly examine our motives.
FAMILY
I am a
newlywed, so we are a family of two! I love Kunda (my wife) and my love for her
keeps growing, but I constantly have to check that I do not love her more than
I love God. And the same can be said of the rest of my family. My love for them
should not rival my love for God. The moment anyone of them becomes the center
of my affection and my life, they have just turned into an idol. Jesus’ answer
to the lawyer about what the greatest commandment is should be instructive to
us. He said the first is Love the lord your God with your entire mind, heart,
strength and soul and the second is likewise, love your neighbor as yourself.
Reversing that order is takes God off his throne! And someone has observed your
horizontal relationships (with people) will not be healthy if you do not have a
healthy vertical relationship (with God).
Exodus
20:2-5 says you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for
yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You
shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the
fourth generation of those who hate me.
