- Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21 (NIV)
- Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. 1 John 5:21 (NLT)
- Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. 1 John 5:21 (KJV)
- Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles. 1 John 5:21 (Message)
- Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)--[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be). 1 John 5:21 (Amplified)
This verse jumped out at me today. A person's first idea of an idol is something you bow down to, an image made to represent a diety, etc. As I began to reflect, it became a very obvious reminder that anything that takes the priority to God in my life is an idol. I don't kneel before a statue or any representation thereof, however idol worship is real.
For instance, here are some idols that have been or continue to be a struggle for me.
1. People worship - I find myself caring too much of what people think, being intimitated, allowing people to control me
2. Time worship - Not managing or mismanaging my time; being obsessed with schedules, etc.
3. Task worship - Making sure things are done that are important to me at the cost of other more important things.
4. Procrastination worship - Not getting things accomplished that should be done because I'm obsessing over #2 & 3
5. Pleasure worship - escaping from reality to ease the stress of all the above by doing something that isn't necessarily bad, yet I go beyond moderation. Examples: TV, Facebook (Bejeweled) and sleep.
6. Self worship - if I evaluate all of the above -- it boils down to the number one thing that I am worshipping the common denominator--- ME!
People/ME, Time/ME, Task/ME, Procrastination/ME, Pleasure/ME, Self/ME
Oh Lord, as I endeavor to renew my mind daily, dieing to self , repenting of these idols, making intentional faith choices to put off and put on, please send reminders of my desire to put you first and foremost in all that I do. I want less of ME and MORE OF YOU! I need God over ME not the other things over ME.
CONTENTMENT = GOD/ME
1. People worship - I find myself caring too much of what people think, being intimitated, allowing people to control me
2. Time worship - Not managing or mismanaging my time; being obsessed with schedules, etc.
3. Task worship - Making sure things are done that are important to me at the cost of other more important things.
4. Procrastination worship - Not getting things accomplished that should be done because I'm obsessing over #2 & 3
5. Pleasure worship - escaping from reality to ease the stress of all the above by doing something that isn't necessarily bad, yet I go beyond moderation. Examples: TV, Facebook (Bejeweled) and sleep.
6. Self worship - if I evaluate all of the above -- it boils down to the number one thing that I am worshipping the common denominator--- ME!
People/ME, Time/ME, Task/ME, Procrastination/ME, Pleasure/ME, Self/ME
Oh Lord, as I endeavor to renew my mind daily, dieing to self , repenting of these idols, making intentional faith choices to put off and put on, please send reminders of my desire to put you first and foremost in all that I do. I want less of ME and MORE OF YOU! I need God over ME not the other things over ME.
CONTENTMENT = GOD/ME
No comments:
Post a Comment