Idols in Our Midst

1 John 5:21, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

When we think of sin in our lives today, idolatry is not one we consider often. In the bible an idol is an image made of wood or stone, and unless we are in a very primitive part of the world, we do not see this type of religion practiced often anymore. But today, idolatry may be the most common unrealized form of sin.

Defined biblically, idolatry is anything in our lives we place ahead of God. In the 10 Commandments, idolatry is the first transgression God warns us of. The first and second commandments tell us to have "no other gods" before Him and to make "no graven images" representing God. What is there in our lives that we may have placed before God?

We live in a world with more idols than ever. A brief list includes money, work, hobbies, friends, sports, TV, computers, possessions, ourselves and our families. Our families and ourselves you say, well yes. Jesus Himself stated that "if any man does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Jesus does not mean we are to hate our loved ones, but rather, our love for Him should be greater than even our love for our blood relatives. Once again, anything that comes before God is an idol.

We can even make our own gods today, even though we don't use wood or stone. If our perception of God does not mirror what the bible says of God, we have created our own god in our mind. Someone who says, "God loves us all so He would not judge us and send us to hell" has created their own god in their mind. Someone who denies that Jesus is the only way "to the Father" has created their own God. You see, idolatry is rampant today, and most of us don't even realize it.

I'm a huge Clemson fan, and I know their are many USC, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina fans in our area. But on several Saturdays every fall, an idol is set up in Clemson, or Columbia, or Athens, or Knoxville for many. They place their fanhood of a school above God. Their is a reason God made idolatry the focus of the first two of the 10 Commandments, He knew, idolatry would plague mankind for as long as we are on this earth.

Does this mean we cannot have quality family time, hobbies, interests? Does this mean we cannot enjoy our work or strive for financial success? No, it simply means that if those things take the place of God in our lives, we have an idol we need to rid ourselves of. So how do we do this?

1 Thessalonians 1:9 tells us of the believers in that church, and how they "turned to God from idols." Their is only one way to turn from idols, or any other sin, and that is to turn to God. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we practice Christ's mandate for His disciples to "deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow" Him. To turn from sin, we must first turn to God. And if we have truly turned to God, we will automatically be turning from our sin, whatever it is.

What is their in our lives that we may be placing ahead of God? That is keeping us from prayer and the study of His word? That keeps us from attending church and the fellowship of believers? What is their we need give up in our lives so that we can love God "with all of our heart." I am convinced that we all struggle with idols from time to time. What is their in our lives right now we need to give up so that we can give all to God?