Idolatry seems like a very old concept. Who bows down to a small statue anymore? Do we line up our family’s gods on our night stand? On the way to work can you order a cup of coffee from the doughnut shop and burn incense to your grandma who is watching over you?
These thoughts might be very foreign to you, American, but they are common in some parts of the world.
In 2019 idolatry in America looks a little different than it did during the Apostle Paul’s ministry in Philippi. Some of the things that we take for granted as part of everyday American life can become idols.
It might help to define our terms. An idol is anything that becomes more important than God. It doesn’t matter what it looks like. It could be a person, like your spouse; a concept, like greed; a place, like a golf course. Those are all benign, even gooma
d things. There are, of course, addictions, and sins that destroy and consume the soul. These are terrible idols that replace everything in life so that there is nothing left but the addiction.
What is the cure for such a scourge? I would say that on our own this is hopeless. What would be the reason for us to ever stop?
Our God, the one true God who made the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that is in them, offers something far better than any idol. What idol ever offered unconditional love? How does the God of pleasure treat us when we have exhausted our resources? We are just as empty as when we started.
Jesus loves us. He proved that love when he died on the cross. He give our lives purpose in that we can live for him alone. We live to serve him until he welcomes us into his heaven.
Want to hear more? Check our this week’s Bible study from our series, Ends of the Earth: Idolatry.
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.
Please click HERE and HERE for the video clips.