All Of Me 3
Idol Free!
by Daniel Carandang
written by Sheresh Eunice Cortes
[Listen to the preaching here:All Of Me 3]
Whether we’re aware of it or not, there is a constant battle we are facing in our lives every day. It’s not just about the competition in our school or workplace, or the war in different parts of the world. But more than that, there is a more serious battle we all experience – and that is the spiritual contention of what or who takes the ultimate place in our hearts.
Whether we’re aware of it or not, there is a constant battle we are facing in our lives every day. It’s not just about the competition in our school or workplace, or the war in different parts of the world. But more than that, there is a more serious battle we all experience – and that is the spiritual contention of what or who takes the ultimate place in our hearts.
Idolatry is something others take lightly, or do unconsciously,
when in truth it is very destructive. Most of the time, we relate money to idolatry
but there is more to it than just that. It takes on so many forms such as
studies, friends, career, religious saints and even family. Idolatry is when
something or someone takes the place of God in our lives.
What’s so bad about idolatry and why should we be careful not to
commit idolatry? Let us take a closer scrutiny on the following verses:
“And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other
gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of
anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You
shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and
fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand
generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Exodus 20: 1-6
In this context, God has just delivered the Israelites from their
slavery in Egypt. They were now journeying through the desert, and at this
point in time, they were at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God was about to
make an agreement with them. An agreement that if they will live like the
chosen people God was calling them to be, they would be a model people (holy
and set apart), the people through whom other nations would come to know God.
In these verses above, God, as He was preparing them for this, was
giving them the first two commandments of what we know as the 10 commandments
which were supposed to be the set of guidelines they were to live by that would
set them apart from all other pagan nations around them.
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of
the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Exodus 20: 1-3
God sent 10 plagues, each one a corresponding god that the
Egyptians looked up to. Through these plagues, God was telling them that all
these images that they considered “gods” were impotent, fake, and does not have
the power to stop Him from delivering His people. The Israelites saw this
display of power and when they were finally delivered from Egypt, God was
telling them, “I am the REAL GOD” “I was the One who delivered you
from your slavery in Egypt. So now stop worshipping other so called gods. I am
to be your One and Only.”
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of
anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You
shall not bow down to them or worship them”
Exodus 20: 4-5
God commanded us not to make any forms of idols in our lives. The
most obvious one would be the religious images, or the statues that some people
bow down to. Some people pray to these images, putting their trust in them for
granting their needs… at times, they would even say “pray for us” after
uttering the image’s name.
As what was mentioned earlier, idolatry takes on so many forms. It
is more than just bowing down to images. Unconsciously, some of us commit
idolatry by making things our idols. It could be money, studies, career, a
person. When we look up to something or someone to meet our needs which God is
supposed to provide, it becomes idolatry. When we put our hope to this thing or
person, we make them our idols.
By committing idolatry, we fail to realize that God is everything
we need. The root of disappointment is when we put our faith and hope to
anything or anyone less than Him. God does not need a substitute! God should be
our One and Only. We should be idol-free!
Below are three points why we should be careful not to commit
idolatry:
1.
Idolatry breaks
the heart of God
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not
bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”
Exodus 20: 4-5
If we were to get married one day, we would want our partner to be
100% faithful to us, right? It is the same with God. Since we’ve surrendered
our lives to Him, we are His. Just like a married couple, when one commits
infidelity, the other gets hurt and angered. God gets righteously angered when
we give away our affections and trust to anything or anyone other than Him.
Idolatry is spiritual infidelity.
It is painful to find out that we share our partner’s affections
with anyone. We all want an exclusive love relationship with our partner – and
that’s the same with God. He wants us all to Him. He wants an exclusive
relationship with us. Once we drift away with a substitute, we leave Him in
pain. He deserves our 100% faithfulness. After all, He loved and sought us
still while we were yet busy with our worldly affairs.
2.
Idolatry
destroys the idolater
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not
bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing
the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of
those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those
who love Me and keep My commandments”
Exodus 20: 4-6
The verses above do not mean you will be punished for the sins of
your parents. God is a just God. It simply means that there are long term
consequences, and the children can be affected by this if they walk after their
parents’ example of idolatry. For example, if a person commits an idolatry of
sex, he can get STD, or it can lead to a broken family and a ruined marriage.
This thing could be passed on, if the child walks after his parent’s example.
Idolatry destroys the idolater by trapping him into an illusion that
it can provide what the idolater needs. Idolatry keeps the idolater away from
the truth that only God can satisfy his deepest longings. In the long run, the
idolater will feel empty and unsatisfied for he cannot find what he truly needs
in his idol.
(However, if the idolater commits to turning away from his
spiritual infidelity that has destroyed him… he can always come to God, the
greatest and only source of everything he needs, for restoration. And it will
never be the same again.)
3.
Total devotion
to God brings blessings and intimacy with Him
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not
bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand
generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Exodus 20: 4-6
If we are committed to God, He won’t hold any good thing from us.
Despite the negative things happening in the world right now, there are still
happy stories around. The Lord blesses His people, those who love and obey Him.
A happy and fulfilled life is brought forth by the knowledge that one has
everything he needs as long as he has God. Give your total devotion to God, and
let yours be another happy story.
A friend once said, “Sin is like a chocolate covered poop”.
Idolatry can appear enticing and beautiful, but may we always be reminded that
in truth it is just crap. God made and designed us for an exclusive
relationship with Him. Let there be no any affairs in our relationship with
Him. Let God take the ultimate place in our hearts, in our lives.
He should be our One and Only. We should be idol-free.
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