This is a long overdue post and a bit different than normal, but what is on my heart.
How often have I sat in church and listened to a sermon about idols?
Or, how many times have I taught a lesson at school or church about idolatry? I
can tell you, it was more than I can count on my fingers and toes combined!
Most of the time, I think to myself, “Meh, there are not many things that are
idols in my life. I don't worship one of those tiny statues that say made
in_______ on the bottom of it. The things that do come to mind are friendships,
television, and books.”
I think those three items come
to mind because they are tangible. They are things that I can touch. Up until
this last week, if somebody had asked if work, teaching, was my idol, my answer
would have been no. I wasn't staying late at work; papers were not being
brought home to grade; and my weekends were a work free zone. So, in my head,
teaching was not an idol.
This mindset began to change, when discussing with a friend why we constantly complain about different things
at school. I realized that my time with my friends was constantly filled with
talk about school things. That weekend, I was taking an evangelism course. The
leader brought up some of the reasons Christians don't evangelize. The reasons
were broken down into two categories: skill issues and heart issues. One of the
heart issues was, God is not at the forefront of our conversations. The things
we discuss most are what we put first, AKA idols.
A firework show began to go off in my head. Neon lit arrows were
pointing it out. Yikes, I had made teaching my idol! This is idolatry and all
idolatry is destructive
Here is what I saw and how I knew it had become my idol:
1.
Talking About It My conversations were clearly defined by
what I do and enjoy. It had become my identity. I should, however, find my
identity in Christ. I felt like I had to talk about school and also felt that
complaining about certain things wasn’t to bad. Now don’t get me wrong, teaching
is not just a job. It truly is a calling and sometimes requires a whole
truckload of time. I sometimes get so wrapped up in talking about it because I
want to make sure it is always being improved. But if I’m not careful, it will continue
to be my idol factory.
2.
Money Spent I recently was doing my taxes and checking
how much I spent on a great website with teacher resources. I wasn’t even
phased. Now, churches here don’t give a giving statement at the end of the
year, so I can’t say whether I gave more than I spent. The amount I spent isn’t
actually my problem though. It is my willingness to spend it. Timothy Keller,
in his introduction of the book Counterfeit gods, paints a clear picture of my
dilemma, “An idol has such controlling position in your heart that you can
spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources,
on it without a second thought.” The key is “without a second thought.” When I
purchase the teaching resource online I easily justify the purchase. However,
when giving at church I find myself questioning how much I should be putting in.
This spending has become an idol.
3.
Easy Frustration The final thing that made it evident was
the frustration I was feeling when I wasn’t seeing things formed the way I
thought was best. God’s word calls us to put off our old self. In Ephesians
4:25-32 we are given many examples of what not to do, followed up by things
that we should do. Verse 29 and 31-32 are what really got me, “Let no
corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building
up as fits the occasion, that it may give grace for all who hear.”29
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from
you, along with all malice.31 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.32” I know the
things in my heart were not following this example. My frustration was taking
over.
Sometime, during the last couple years, teaching had taken over my
life. The time that I used to spend thinking, talking and loving (probably a
better way of stating it) about Jesus was now filled with talking, spending and
frustrating constantly (again probably not the correct use of the words) about
teaching. My idolatry of teaching has crumbled it cannot hold under the weight
of worship that solely belongs to God. It can be easy for me to let teaching
become that idol again, but for now Romans 1:18-32 is sobering reminder why I
should seek to put God first and worship Him alone.
18 For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can
be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible
attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly
perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So
they are without excuse. 21 For
although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him,
but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were
darkened. 22 Claiming
to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal
God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God
gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring
of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God
for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this
reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women
exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise
gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one
another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in
themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they
did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased
mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness,
evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,
maliciousness. They are gossips,30 slanderers,
haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to
parents, 31 foolish,
faithless, heartless, ruthless.32 Though
they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such
things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to
those who practice them.
So please pray as I seek to follow God's command to worship Him, and Him alone. I encourage you also to examine your life and see what has become your idol factory.
