The Worst Kind of Idol
I have never been tempted to worship a carved wooden idol. I don’t get how people can worship things like that. I worship only the Living God Who Created everything I know, see and touch. He alone is worthy of my worship.
I was reminded this morning that the idols that cause me to stumble are invisible to the human eye. Ezekiel introduces a different kind of idol that the people are struggling with – idols of the heart. Check this out…
1 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 ‘Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling-blocks before their faces. Should I let them enquire of me at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: when any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling-block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. 5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.”
6 ‘Therefore say to the people of Israel, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! (Ezekiel 14:1-6 NIV)
This is an idolatry that everyone I know struggles with. In our affluent culture, our idols include money and things. We are also into instant gratification. We are easily self-centered instead of God-centered. Other idols of the heart include but are not limited to Pride & Arrogance. The list is pretty long of the idols that can rule my heart. I believe that the Lord will help me defeat the idols of my heart, but I believe that I’ll be fighting them until the day I die.
All behavior flows from the heart. If the Lord controls my heart, He can help me control my behavior. I want Him to speak into my heart and expose the idols that cause me to stumble and fall. I want to worship the Creator not created things. I want to keep my eyes on eternal values and not on temporary values.
Pressing On!
Dwayne