Sniffing out MY idols

The reason for the last post was two-fold. Firstly, I wanted to share some insight that I have recently received on how to recognize the idols in our lives. I now come to the second reason for speaking about idols...

...I have them.

They are big. They are shiny. They defile God's holy name.

There has been a particular idol which has been built up in my heart lately. The prince of this world has been hard at work refining it in his own wicked kiln, doing his best to make it as lustrous as possible in order to draw my gaze from my Saviour and onto his crafty work.

Nice try, you poisonous coward. My LORD is more powerful than that!

For those of you who know me well, I might not even have to mention this idol by name, for you could probably guess it! (But I'll give you a hint: read Psalm 73:25)

This desire, in and of itself, is not evil. On the contrary: God has placed it in me, and it is good... as is the thing which I desire. However, God has seen it pleasurable to show me, out of the endless bounty of His grace, that I have let my desire for this good thing keep me from loving others. And in failing to love others, I have failed to love Him.

Thank God for imputed righteousness! He does not see this failure when He looks at me, for He only sees that blessed Cross!

There was a point recently in my idol worship when I actually had the thought pass through my mind which wished briefly that another heir of the Kingdom, another being for whom Christ sacrificed His very Self, would be kept from drawing closer to God so that I might gain that which I sought.

An utterly evil thought. Plain and simple.

I am not sure whether this was a thought which drug itself out of my own sinful subconscious, or was put there by the Enemy, but it matters not. It was there, it was evil, and once it came and went I never wanted to think upon it again. Praise be to our Father for shining His light in dark places!

I would have you pray, my brethren, that God would demolish this idol - raze it to the ground in a fury which jealously longs to see His name hallowed on this earth. My desire is good, and the object of my desire is good - a blessed thing, indeed - but of what worth may it be if I do not honor God through it? Pray for me, that God would grant me the strength and will to honor Him: more today than yesterday, more tomorrow than today.