What if I told you I struggled with idolatry? I’m sure some of you may be surprised, but those who know me well know it’s true. For years now it has been something I have fought daily against. Some days are better than others, but every day is a struggle.

What may surprise you more is that you do too. You may not realize it, but every Christian I’ve ever met struggles with idolatry to some degree.

For some reason when we hear the word idolatry, we think of ancient cultures who gather, with faces painted and elaborate headdresses, dancing around a man-made icon of some sort. But for those who have chosen to follow God, idolatry today looks very different. Idolatry occurs the moment we begin to value anything more than God.

We made our choice

We who call ourselves Christians have made a decision to follow God and yet day after day fall prey to media, work, and other priorities that fight for our attention. We get distracted by things around us and we prioritize worldly possessions, achievements, and accolades before God.

Paul defines it a unique way in Colossians 3:5 as covetousness. When we covet another’s possessions, achievements, status, or anything else, we fall prey to idolatry. It is a daily struggle we must choose to guard against and fight in our own lives. For me, the hardest part is guarding against good things becoming ultimate things.

It caught me a couple weeks ago while many churches, including our own, decided to have an adjusted schedule in response to COVID-19. Many churches, our own included, canceled life groups on campus and only had worship for those who felt comfortable coming out.

As we were making the decision and talking to other church leaders, it hit me how much the early church likely looked more like our life groups than organized worship services as we have them today. They gathered in houses, they broke bread together, they had community, and they dove into scripture deeper together.

In the weeks that have followed there have been conversations about hosting worship services in light of government mandates to limit crowd sizes. I can’t help but ask the question, have we made an idol of the worship service? For centuries people have gathered in homes to worship God. Across the world today there are countries where it is illegal to worship God and others where gatherings of a certain size are required to register with the government. These countries have been worshiping in homes and in small numbers and continue to praise and honor God.

The idol of our gatherings

I love our worship services as we have them at my home church and other churches I have been a part of and visit when I can. But I’m afraid COVID-19 has revealed an idol in the American Church. And I’m glad.

I want to pursue holiness, perfection, God as much as I can. I often fall short. It never feels good when loving people point it out in my life. But I continue to be grateful.

I encourage you to simply sit back and reflect over the things you value most. Have you allowed them to become idols? Have your values and ideologies influenced how you interpret scripture? Or does scripture shape and influence your values and ideologies?

Reflection Thoughts:

Read Colossians 3:1-17

How does your life look different today because of the difference Christ made in your life yesterday?

Take a moment to pray and be silent before God and ask Him to point out idols in your life. Don’t argue, just listen and write them down.

What do you need to do specifically to guard against those idols in your life?

Go back before God and ask for His forgiveness for the ways you have valued other things over Him. Ask for strength to constantly fight against this in the future.

This is part of the new life we have in Christ. Another part of it according to Colossians 3:14-15 is to live at peace with others and forgive them in the same way God has forgiven you. Any time we hold something against another we are creating an idol of that issue. It has become more important than God’s command to forgive. I know forgiveness is not always easy, but it is what we are called to do.

What step do you need to take today to forgive someone else?

What do you need to hear from God in this moment to know He has forgiven you?

Parents :

Help your kids understand the significance of not letting anything come between them and God. Help reframe idolatry in a way they can understand it and the significance of putting God first in every way. Be open and share how difficult it is for you and how you can strive together towards being more like God.