Verse: 1 John 5:19-21
19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
Devotion
There’s probably not a lot of intentional idol worship happening in your house this morning. I’m know I’m going out on a limb there, but let’s just say I’m right. You aren’t bowing before a wooden statue most likely, or praying to a picture of an animal, or anything like that.
So what can we do with this verse? It’s the last thing that John says to us in this letter, so we can assume it was important.
Let’s ask the question: What idols vie for God’s place in my life? Leading up to this he tells us the whole world “is under the control of the evil one” but that “we are in him who is true.” We live in a marketplace of idols competing for our worship, and he wants to remind us that all of them are evil when they take the place of the one true God in our lives.
Some idols I can think of are money, reputation, sex/romance/relationships, career advancement, family time (when it comes before God), kids, entertainment, pleasure, people pleasing, being liked, avoiding conflict, and more.
Do any of those strike a chord with you? The insidious part is that none of us would say, “I worship money.” LOL Or “I worship relationships.” It’s less intentional than ancient idol worship, but not less harmful. When these things rise to the place of getting more attention from us than God, or demanding our affection over God, or even influencing our decisions more than God—we probably have an issue. We want God to be first in our attention, affections, and decisions, because he will lead us into true life and love and meaning. The rest will eventually leave us empty.
I wonder this morning, if we could all take a minute to ask God to show us any “idols” we are paying too much attention to in our lives. What would he say? This isn’t about condemnation, but I know if there’s anything in my life that is ABOVE God, I want to repent, and find a different way.
Prayer
I pray that you would show me anything in my life that has risen into a place of too much prominence and power in my heart.
Author: Christian Dunn
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