Keep yourselves from idols !

Tuesday 24 August 2021

Keep yourselves from idols !

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols !” 1 John 5:21

On the day the Israelites began to complain about the manna God provided them daily, “The Lord sent poisonous serpents against the people. They bit the people and many Israelites died” (Numbers 21. 6). They eventually repented and begged God to deliver them from the serpents. The latter commanded Moses to fashion a bronze serpent, to mount it on a pole so that any Israelite bitten by a serpent would be healed, simply by looking up to the bronze image. It was an extraordinary proposition, but one that proved its effectiveness ! What happened to this bronze serpent ? We read that Hezekiah “tore to pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for the Israelites had hitherto burned incense before him” (2 Kings 18. 4). For decades they had lugged it around, protecting, preserving and polishing it with reverence until the day they began to worship it! What had originally been a symbol of divine blessing had become a vulgar idol. Do you think this could never happen to you ? The apostle John wrote : “Little children, keep yourselves from idols”. Anyone and anything can become an idol in your heart : your church, your children, your husband or wife, your job, your house, your car, your education... But don't get me wrong : it doesn't There is nothing wrong with enjoying all of these good things, as long as none of them takes the place of God in your heart ! Jesus said : “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Luke 12:34). And again : “The mouth expresses that with which the heart is full” (Matthew 12:34). What takes up the majority of your time, which demands the most of your energy and money, what you talk about the most, what fills your mind and dreams the most, is what best expresses the substance of your life. your heart ! Christ wants “to be first in everything” (Colossians 1:18), without suffering the slightest exception ! Either way, if He's the center of your life, everything else is just a showcase accessory !

Source (His Word for Today)