FROM ACTS MAGAZINE--- NOV/DEC 2022--- A PUBLICATION OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL CHURCH OF GOD, SEVENTH DAY---MERIDIAN, ID, USA.
BEWARE OF IDOLATRY
by Ezra D. Ledger
In this busy and challenging world, let us be always awake and focused on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and not on the things of this world. We are warned in Luke 16:15, that whatever we esteem more than Jehovah God is an abomination and an abomination is sin.
In our lives today, it seems that we are always occupied with the things of this world; be it our families, our jobs, the pleasures and cares of this world, and all those other actions that take away from us fervently serving our God. As a matter of fact, our entire lives seem to be our sole preoccupation and in the ever-fast-moving world, it's so easy to get caught up with the world's distractions and cares of life, that in our effort to get ahead and overcome, we dedicate our lives to our desires and ambitions to succeed or feel accomplished.
Every so often, we get so engrossed in the activities of our lives, that we become slaves to our own actions. We, at times, become hooked on habits even though we would not have been initially committed to such behaviour. Our lives become intrinsically attached to our work, our pleasures and ambitions, our education and careers, our families and friends, and all those things that provide temporary satisfaction. Of course, in this age of technological advancement, it has even more so made our addictions and love for the things of the world even more significant.
What we need to realize is that our desires can grow into habits and we become hooked on these habits and trophies, including electronic devices. We spend more time on our phones, tablets, and computers surfing the internet and on social media. I our addictions to these actions and activities have caused endless delays in the carrying out of our other responsibilities Consequentially, these behaviours are seemingly keeping us from our family lives, and from faithfully giving time to God and from worshipping Him in spirit and in truth.
It now appears that going to church, reading our Bibles. praying, visiting the sick or needy, or even finding time alone with Jesus have been placed on the "back burner" of our lives. Subsequently, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord and our worship and pride to Him are no longer the centre stage in our lives, as we have more or less created other important trophies and matters in our lives. Naturally, we may not have set out to serve these situations or activities, or even spend so much time on these activities but because of our love, dedication, and commitment to these actions, they have robbed us of our time and commitment to God and His works. Seemingly, we esteem and worship all kinds of earthly things - like beauty, power, wealth, accomplishments, and talent as a substitute for honouring and worshipping God. As a result, we become prone to things like idolizing people, jealousy, sexual immorality, covetousness, pride, unthankftilness, being constrained by what people think of us, etc. However, if we were to look to the Creator of all things rather than on the created things, we would see that the only value and meaning in all of these things should only be used for the glory of God! The Bible clearly tells us to set our affections on things above, not on things of the earth, Colossians 3:2.
The word of God predicted these attitudes, as in Romans 1:25, it stated that men "worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator." Our dedicated attitudes to these worldly actions and behaviours have occasioned us to esteem our work, our families, relatives and friends, our gadgets and devices, etc. as more important than spending time with Jehovah God; and the word of God clearly states in Luke 16:15, that which we esteem more than Jehovah God is an abomination. This abomination resounds as the act of idolatry!... as simple as it sounds, it is that easy to create idols in our lives, and "worshipping" and dedication to these idols are equally easy. Our habits can cause our focus to shift away from truly letting the Lord, our God, reign in our lives. As believers, we are reminded in Ecclesiastes 12:13, that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep all of His commandments. However, some of us have put our guards down and have allowed the things of this world to dim our eyes on the true purposes of life. The Bible clearly wamed all Christian believers about having other gods.
We have learnt from the children of Israel, that while they were marching away from slavery towards freedom in the promised land, they lost sight of the providence and sovereignty of God and allowed their desires to "worship" to cause them to create a god made with hands...an idol (a golden calf). Sometimes our desires to achieve and so show appreciation, if not properly guide can cause us to do things wrongly. We should always seek God first in all circumstances, and let God guide us into all righteousness.
It is very easy to create and worship other things and persons.
Basically, an idol is a person or thing that is loved, admired, worshipped, or respected; and Idolatry is the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God, it includes excessive devotion to or reverence for that person or thing.
The Holy Scriptures admonished us, to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37) and that, "thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:10). We need to remember, the Lord is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14, Deuteronomy 6:15). His everlasting and unconditional love towards us occasioned this jealousy.... God is God and God alone and Him only we should serve. He wants us to serve Him with all our hearts and minds, body and soul, every moment of our lives.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:21-24, 28 explained the origin of idolatry: men forsook God, and sank into ignorance and moral corruption. The first and second commandments (Exodus 20:3, 5) are directed against idolatry of every form.
The sin of idolatry, or worshipping other gods, is against the Law of God. As a matter of fact, it's an act of disobedience and brings to light the lack of love for God. As God's words encourage, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). It is important to remember that disobedience to God is the cause of the original sin, and therefore, when we disobey God's commandments we continue in our trespasses and sin! Let us remember God's warning in Exodus 20:2-4, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egtpt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any gruven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (emphasis added)
As we focus on our only true and living God, let us be reminded of a few Bible verses that warn about idolatry: "Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Werefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Werefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. (1 Corinthians 10:7-14)
In 1 John 5:2l, there is very simple advice: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen " Also in Colossians 3:5, we are urged to, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence [sexual/physical desires], and covetousness, which is idolatry" and in Jonah 2:8 we are reminded that "They that observe lying vanities [idols] forsake their own mercy."
We also find some definitions for idolatry in the New Testament, in which, idolatry is used to include covetousness. Matthew 6:24 (and Luke 16:13) states, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Also, Ephesians 5:5 says "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
So finally, what is an idol?
Well, it is simple any thing or person that we love more than our Creator God! It is also what we want or desire more than God, and include what we treasure or enjoy more than God. It could be a relationship, pleasures, jobs/careers, money, or material possessions. It could be success in business. It could be sexual pleasures. It could be a hobby or a musical group, a sport, or a TV show that you are following. It could even be your house or car. Let's be careful about how we esteem our behaviour and actions. We must put God first and foremost in all situations.
John Piper writes:
So Paul puts it like this in Romans 1:25: "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creatures - [anything that is created] - rather than the Creator" (ESV). But there is no wrath for the children of God. And why is that? Because Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 1: "You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come"'
(1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 ESV).
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