Are We Living Idol Free?

“And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.”

(Judges 18:30, ESV)

I encourage you to read through Judges 17 and 18. Together they form a story about the idols we justify in life - that we are possibly even unaware of. We let them exist within the confines of our lives, assuming they are “good” or “normal” when they actually pull us away from God. This leaves me asking myself, “What idols are in my life that I do not even recognize?”

Let us prayerfully reflect upon this question, asking God to reveal what in us seems “good” but actually keeps God at bay. What are the pieces of life I like and value? Do I really need them? Are they wants or needs? Am I justifying them when they are actually getting in the way of God working in and through me?

Idols rarely look in our lives the way they looked in the Old Testament. We usually see idols as a small statue that represents another god or religion or spiritual movement; they can be this but often are not for us today in western culture. The “religion” of consumerism has taken a hold on us; we attend church based upon what we get out of it rather than what we can give, we insist upon having more things and activities because we compare ourselves to what others have rather than focusing on what we need - we often idolize comfort and pleasure.

“Holy Spirit, reveal to us, personally and collectively, what idols have formed in our minds, hearts, and lives!”