Christianity Oasis Forum

[totallylovedbygod4]

“Idolatry”

“…although they know who God is, they do not glorify Him as God or thank Him. On the contrary, they have become futile in their thinking; and their undiscerning hearts have become darkened. Claiming to be wise, they have become fools! In fact, they have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for mere images, like a mortal human being, or like birds, animals or reptiles!" (Romans 1:21-23 – CJB)

“…their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” (Psalm 115:4-8 - NIV)

“Therefore I poured out My fury on them, because of the blood they had shed in the land and because they defiled it with their idols.” (Ezekiel 36:18 – CJB)

Idolatry does not require a physical image nor does it require a “religion.” Webster defines an idol as “an object of extreme devotion.” That “object” could be money, power, position, a person, a desire, or anything to which you give extreme devotion.

God was clear when He said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3 – KJV) Yet, we put other “gods” before Him every day.

The foremost sin of mankind, the highest transgression God can lay at the feet of the world is placing anything before Him. Most of today’s world population matches God’s assessment of mankind just prior of the flood when He said that “…every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). We place everything above God.

Our rush to build bigger churches with bigger and better facilities and more members is all too often more about us than it is about serving the Lord. Have we allowed the building become our idle? We speak of loving our fellow Christians; but privately, we abhor them because they are of another denomination. Has the name above the door taken on the character of an idle? We rush home to see the game, not ot spend time with our family. We leave for work early instead of having breakfast with our family so we can impress the boss. We always have rational explanations; but, our priorities may need a little examination.

When we look at anything through the eyes of the world instead of through the eyes of Yeshua, that thing can all too easily become more important than the purpose it serves. Money, power, position, people and even our desires are gifts from God; and, although many of these gifts do give us pleasure, that is not their purpose. They are gifts to be used in the service of the Lord. The fact that we can also enjoy them is just an indication of how much our God loves His children.

We do not need idols because we already have an object of extreme devotion, The Messiah Yeshua…

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” (1st John 3:1 – NIV)

Your servant,

Pastor Ron

[clark thompson]

Idols are something most people don't even see are still around today. Instead of being made of gold and silver they are made of dollars and are any thing you put before God.