Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 1 Cor 10:14

Idolatry is defined as either the worship of idols or the extreme admiration, love or reverence of something or someone. In its most blatant form, it is clear; you make an image or statue, consider it as deity and then bow down and worship it. I’m sure you are not guilty of that. But idolatry is so subtle. It creeps in and overtakes you before you know it. It’s when our love for something or someone grows to a point where the person or things starts to take the place of God. An idol can be identified by the amount of time and energy we give towards if whether in thought (daydreaming, anxiety), word (what or who we talk about the most) or deed (what we give ourselves to). Someone defined idolatry as when we make something good to become something ultimate.

It does not mean that we can’t be passionate about something or love someone dearly, but we do need to constantly check our hearts to make sure that we do not idolise people and things. We need to ensure that we do not place too much of our hopes and expectations on them. We need to hold on lightly to them because ultimately they belong to God. We much be careful of saying things like, “so-and-so means everything to me” or “I really don’t know what I would do without such-and-such”.

We must always realise that God is our ultimate Father, Friend and source of life and everything that is good. Everything else, people and things belong to him and are given to us on loan so that we can steward them as we grow in him and journey through this earth as passers-by towards our final destination which is heaven where we look forward to being with him forever.

So keep your heart in check. Identify and confess your idols. Ask Jesus for forgiveness and for help in keeping your life free from idols. Tell him that he is your only source of life and sustenance and that you value him above everyone and everything else in your life. Thank him for the people and things he has brought into your life. May God help, keep and bless you today.

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