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.
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