What are Our Functional Idols?
And this occurred because the people had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt…and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel… 2 Kings 17:7-8.
The leaders and the people of Israel wanted to be like other nations. They embraced the customs and the idolatry of their neighbors. Their desire to be like other nations was so strong that it “lead them to adopt horrific practices like the burning of their children. Their minds became warped and they were no longer able to discern good from evil” (David Kim, Glimpses of Greater Glory, p. 75). Losing their ability to discern good from evil to the point of burning their own children just so they would fit in with other nations is so utterly wicked that we may find it difficult to imagine how such a thing could happen. We would never do such a thing.
But let’s not be too quick to come to that conclusion. While I am pretty confident that none of us is going to turn our children into a burnt offering to a false god, we should not assume that we are immune from idolatry. I am reminded of John Calvin’s oft quoted statement that our hearts are idol factories, that we are constantly churning out idols from our hearts. We all have idols. If we fail to recognize that reality and consciously address it, we are likely setting ourselves up for destructive consequences.
Kim wrote, “We need to identify the functional idols in our lives and understand how this idolatry is at the root of so much misery in our lives. When we look to created things instead of God for our ultimate needs, we bow down before idols and become enslaved to them.”
We all have things, good things, things created by God, that attract us, draw us, and promise us what only God can provide? What are the created things that you turn to for ultimate love or security or meaning or approval or pleasure?
Kim concluded, “God alone is able to provide all that we need. When we turn to Him in faith and obedience, we destroy the idols that we erect in our hearts. God’s covenantal love for His people alone has the power to release us from inordinate desire for wealth, security, and people’s approval.”
God calls us flee to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. He calls us to believe and act in faith that he will be faithful to meet all our needs. What are concrete actions that you can take to show your confidence that he will do so?
Much love, Barry