IDOL

 

Write From My Heart

August 29, 2021

IDOL any object of ardent or excessive devotion or admiration

Jonah 2:8 (NIV) Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

            I enjoy the story of Jonah, particularly because as Jonah ran away, God delivered him to the exact place he should have been traveling to all along. Too often we overlook little golden nuggets of truth while getting caught up in the main text. Tucked away in the familiar story of Jonah is a small 13-word verse, but what a powerful and timely message it brings. We commonly think about idols as man-made images to represent any number of false gods. True. However by definition, an idol is anything which captures your attention, devotion, or admiration. In short, an idol can be anything that draws you away from focusing on God, his Word, or his plan for your life. When I (or we) allow anything to disrupt our focus on God, the consequence is clear—we lose the grace that could have been ours while we were distracted. God’s grace is abundant and free to all who call upon him—to all who believe. How sad to forfeit even a moment of God’s unmerited love and favor because we are too busy with our own worldly agendas or prideful possessions. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament make it perfectly clear:

Exodus 20:3  You shall have no other gods before me.

Matthew 22:37  Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”