1:21-23 "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."
Paul is talking about wicked man who know who God is. These men know that God is God. But they choose not to glorify or thank Him. They decided to trade the glory of living for and with God. So claiming to be wise they worship man and animals.
Luke 12:47 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows."
John 3:19 "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."
It is weird to think that people have been worshiping animals for thousands of years. The Egyptians and Romans had temples devoted to gods with bodies made to look like man and animals. Pharaoh himself claimed to be a god. Now I see where people are elevating animals by saying we are nothing but evolved animals. People believe that we are animals. There are also many who think that they are their own God and do not have to answer to anybody. These people are selfish and live only to please themselves.
We as christians must daily examine ourselves to find the idols in our lives. Maybe it is money, a car, a house, a hero, a movie star. A idol can be a thing that is good like a relationship with a friend or your spouse. Whenever something becomes more important than your relationship with God it has become your idol.
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3 comments:
Maybe even karate?
Yes, even karate can be an idol. I've purposed not to make karate my idol. I strive to teach and practice and compete in karate all for God's glory.
I heard something in a sermon that I was listening to that seemed appropriate. It is important that we be a disciple of Christ as a full-time calling. If anything else takes away from being a full-time disciple (or Jesus-follower) than there is the danger that this thing has become our idol. For example, are we living as a full-time student but a part-time disciple? It could be that education has become our idol.
Often people will assume that, because an activity or person has become important, even time-consuming or an object of much dedication and passion, that this activity or person has become an idol. I know a woman who was accused of making her handicapped child her "idol". What people didn't realize is that Christ had called her to serve Him by devoting herself to her child.
Are we full-time disciples? Or are we letting idols get in the way?
Are those things we are passionate about things that we are doing in service to our Savior and for His glory?
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