The Secret Life of Idols

The Greatest Commandment

Until recently, I never thought idolatry was a sin that I really struggled with. I didn’t have any statues that I rubbed for good luck, and I only ever prayed to God. Growing up, I’ve always heard it said that you can make anything an idol in your life by loving it more than God or by giving it more priority. That would make sense since we know that Jesus says in Mark 12:29-30 “…‘The most important [commandment] is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

But how do we know we’re loving Him will our all? In 1st John 4:13-19, he talks about the need to be perfected in the love that God has given us. When we’re fully perfected in God’s love, which lets us love Him with our all, fear is cast out. In a way, fear and love work together. All through the Bible, we’re told to fear God and that in fearing God comes holiness and wisdom. I would like to therefore propose that whoever we fear more, who or whatever motivates us, is “god” in our lives. 

In my own life, I first realized this when it came to parenting. I had found myself parenting in a way to simply avoid my children’s whining and nagging. I was giving in to them because I feared the tantrums. This made them an idol in my life. 1 John 4:19 goes on to say, “For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” The punishment in the situation with my children was their demanding cries which grate on any parent. But God showed me that I needed to fear Him more by teaching my children discipline. I will give an account to Him of how I raised my children one day. We, therefore, show Him worship and love when we say that we fear the punishment that could come from Almighty God more than the punishment that could come from anyone or anything on this earth.

Looking at it this way, we all have idols we need to pluck out. We root out these idols in our lives by examining our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our bodies like it says in the Greatest Commandment. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” When we’re upset it can point out the areas in our lives where we fear something more than God.

Most people don’t understand the need to actually fear God. He’s been painted as an old grandfatherly figure with a beard who, like any grandparent struggles to say no and just wants to give hugs. But He’s not a grandfather, He’s a father. A good father who disciplines His children when they go astray. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their ungodliness. He opened up the earth to swallow the grumblers in the wilderness. God dispersed the Israelites from the promised land when they failed to listen. He struck down Ananias and Sapphira when they lied about their gift to the church. Our God has the power and authority to cast us into Hell where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

Nothing we do on our own will be good enough to save us from this fate, which is why Jesus had to come and bare our punishment so that we could have a relationship with God.

More personally, this discipline has come in the form of suicidal thoughts and near-crippling depression. Before my husband and I got married, we slept together. It was wrong and we both knew it. In my own heart, I feared upsetting Brian more than I feared God’s wrath for those moments. By afflicting me with depression, He was disciplining me and warning me to stop. 

But fear is just the beginning. When we properly fear God, we cast out the fear of idols in our lives which in turn leaves more room for God to abide in us. When God abides in us, His love is made more clear to us. When His love is more clear, the fear we have of other things and Him leaves. So that, “With confidence [we can] draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16). Once we truly fear the Lord, we can learn to truly love Him above all else.

“Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

This will be the start of a series of devotionals on finding the idols in our lives. If you don’t want to miss out on the next ones, type your email below to be notified when they’re posted!