Idols of the heart

"You shall have no other gods before me." - Ex. 20:3

"Sin is fundamentally idolatrous." Isn't that so true? We're reading parts of Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands for Biblical Counseling by Paul David Tripp and it is soooo good.

I was listening to a song by Paul Alan called "One Thing". I can't make out exactly what he's singing about, sounds like waiting on answers from God, but the lyrics also imply that we're all reaching for something...and that emptiness is good, the thirst is good, because it needs to be for God and God alone.

It's easy to migrate worship of the Creator into worship of a created thing. Questions you can ask yourself are:

1) What is ruling my heart in this situation?

2) What do I become anxious over or fearful over?

3) Do I desire or want something that God does not want or desire?

When desires become demands, the "thing/person" gains position of prominence. We are unhappy without it, can disobey God to have it/keep it, or if you don't get it, you will disobey God.

Here are some other good barometers for understanding where your "treasure" and "worship" lies:

1) how you spend your time

2) what you sacrifice to do certain things with certain people

3) what you spend your money on

4) what you have frustration over, in the sense that you want/need something God hasn't given to you

"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." - 1 Cor. 10:14

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols." - 1 John 5:21

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." - Col. 3:5

So how do we battle these idols?* It's so subtle, something seemingly innocent, then creeps up and becomes 1st in our hearts.

a) Pray daily

b) Ask yourself hard questions, invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart

c) Write down how your particular idol is worshipped

d) Acknowledge it for what it is - sin of idolatry

e) Ask God for forgiveness

f) Study God's character and replace that idol worship with worship of God

*adapted materials from GCC DC1 class

We probably all struggle with this, especially when "self" is placed over God - that's SIN!

I pray that God will help us see the idolatry, to search our hearts against, to bind our wandering hearts back to Him.

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God." - Ezekiel 36:25-28

Grace and peace to you.

The cross affects every category of our existence

Just a quick post today. I wanted to share a particularly well written and concise piece on the cross. This is a direct excerpt from Ch. 6 of Worldliness:

"For Paul, the cross was the singular, decisive, existence-altering reality of his life. No category of Paul's existence remained untouched by Christ's atoning death on his behalf.

The cross reinterpreted his past, revealing his sinfulness and the futility of his efforts to earn God's approval.

The cross also defined his present. Now, for Paul, "to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). Knowing Christ, pleasing Christ, serving Christ, glorifying Christ - Christ became the very meaning and purpose of Paul's life.

And of course, the cross determined his future - if living is Christ, then "to die is gain" (1:21). All of Paul's hopes and joys lay in Christ, and death simply brought these to their fullest realization.

As a result, the cross was the crucial factor defining Paul's relationship with the world. On the one hand, the world was crucified to him. It held no sway over Paul, nor was he dependent upon it for anything. He didn't crave its approval, embrace its values, or covet its rewards. On the other hand, Paul had been crucified to the world. At his conversion, he was "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20); in his union with Christ, his sins had been forgiven and his sinful nature crucified. Life in this world would never be the same.

How are you and I to view our existence in this world? Through the prism of Christ's saving work on the cross. The cross transforms all the categories of our lives. It answers the central questions of the human predicament.

The cross tells me who I am. Apart from grace, I'm a sinner separated from God and subject to wrath, but through the cross I've been forgiven, adopted into God's family, and transformed by the Holy Spirit to know, love, and glorify God.

The cross interprets the world I inhabit. God made this world good, and although sin severly corrupted it, the cross demonstrates God's commitment to remove sin from his creation and his power to restore it to himself.

The cross transforms my view of people. Although made in the image of God, because of sin they are guilty, corrupt, and liable to punishment before a holy God. However, the gospel offers men and women hope, because on the cross Christ paid for the sins of all who would ever be forgiven.

The cross gives my life purpose. Through the cross I've been purchased by God and restored to his original purposes for me. I now can know him and glorify him in this world, reflecting his character and laboring to see his reign expressed throughout creation.

What part does the cross play in your life? Does it tower over all the other realities of your earthly existence? Does it define who you are and how you live?

When we see our lives in light of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, everything will be different. We won't be enamored by a fallen world that opposes God; it is for such a world that our Savior died. Nor will we ignore the world, untouched by its God-glorifying potential or unmoved by its needs. Rather, we'll take our place in this world, enjoying God's gifts, fulfilling God's purposes, and giving our lives to see the gospel proclaimed, sinners saved, and God glorified."

I pray that you'll be encouraged and challenged to live such a cross-centered life.

Grace and peace to you.

Our heart condition

It's been a while since I've been able to blog, haven't really had much time to sit down and type up my thoughts so I'm happy to be back! Been reading and reflecting a lot though, these past three weeks have gone by quickly...

I'm reading a book on Worldliness, put together by C.J. Mahaney. It has me thinking about how much we allow the world to influence us, rather than the other way around. On pg. 20, it mentions Demas, someone who was burning bright with the love of Christ for a while, and then suddenly faded from fellowship and turned his back on Christ. It's tragic, and could happen to anyone of us.

"A love for the world begins in the soul. It's subtle, not always immediately obvious to others, and often undetected by the people who are slowly succumbing to its lies.
It begins with a dull conscience and a listless soul. Sin does not grieve him like it once did. Passion for the Savior begins to cool. Affections grow dim. Excitement lessens for participating in the local church. Eagerness to evangelize starts to wane. Growth in godliness slows to a crawl."

So, please ask yourself this...are you drifting?

"The greater our difference from the world, the more true our testimony for Christ - and the more potent our witness against sin."

Pastor Rick Holland reminded us of the frightening realities of hell on Sunday - a place of ETERNAL torment, where you have no relationships, friends or people to talk to, where it is totally dark, and you know that God is out there, but you cannot enjoy or feel His presence (Luke 16). How horrible is that? Many of us have loved ones that are on their way there...

HOW ARE YOU LIVING YOUR LIFE IN A WAY THAT BRINGS LIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THAT HONORS GOD, THAT DRAWS UNBELIEVERS TO CHRIST? Or are you indistinguishable from the world?

In the choices that we make day to day, how should we then live? Scripture commands us to be holy:

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct" - 1 Pet. 1:14-15

To walk in a manner that is worthy:

"so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." - Col. 1:10

In obedience to His word:

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me." John 14:15, 21

Yes, I'll be the first to admit that it's very hard. We are all sinners. However, be honest with yourself, search your hearts (deceitful and misleading, and wretched as it is), confess your sins, and surrender it all to God. The book continues: "We must run to the cross where God's holiness and mercy intersect decisively. We find grace. Grace that forgives. Grace that empowers us to change. Grace that leads us to desire and pursue obedience."

Most of us have a healthy mind and volition, but we must train it to align with Truth and what Scripture teaches. Submit to God's authority and Lordship, yield to Him when He leads you and asks you to give things up that seem "pleasurable" or "exciting" or "desirable" for the moment, for things that are beneficial, honorable, and pure. God's best is always for our own good.

My dear friends, we are to be NEW creatures, set apart from the world because of the precious sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf:

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." - Col. 3:2,3

"And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." - Gal. 5:24

God, I pray for more opportunities to shine your light in this fallen world, that I would not succomb to the lies, to continue to pursue You and glory for Your name alone.

Grace and peace to you.