Are You Collecting Idols?
Summer is an awesome time for spiritual check-ups. Usually, we get some time off the grid or even time away from routines. That gives us time to see our life better than when we are barely trying to survive from day to day. Today I am trying to look at my life if there are any other gods than God Almighty. You know, it’s so easy to start collecting idols without even noticing it. How about you? Are you collecting idols?
Because God says:
When you cry out for help,
let your collection of idols save you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a mere breath will blow them away.
But whoever takes refuge in me
will inherit the land
and possess my holy mountain.
(Isaiah 57:13, NIV,*)
Are you collecting idols?
It’s so hard to admit that we are collecting idols when we are putting our trust in money or even in such a great thing as a family. It’s wise to save up and love your family, right? Yes and no. Saving (versus spending) is a good thing but our security does not come from piles of cash but from the Lord. Love is also good, even biblical, yet our help does not come from our family but from the Lord.
It is hard to trust God without hesitation. Maybe it’s even harder to surrender fully to God. Without conditions. But those conditions and reserves are our idols. Whether we realize it or not.
Your collection of idols does not save you. Nobody but Jesus can save you. And there’s no one but God who can make you whole and secure your future. Yet we insist on managing on our own. Over and over again. But our insurances and bank accounts or piles of stuff won’t help when we really need it. Even a family can’t always be there for us. In the end, we are alone before God. And that does not have to be scary. Christ is inviting us to take refuge in him and then being alone with God is a celebration. I am choosing God. Every day. Why don’t you join me in this celebration?
Gracious God,
Forgive us for trying to manage on our own,
collecting idols left and right.
You are the only Living God
and we want to choose you.
We surrender to you without conditions.
May Thy will happen in and around our lives.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: Are you collecting idols?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you get rid of idols at the feet of Jesus! Choose God, choose joy!
* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses toBiblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.].
Photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash, design by Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Dance with Jesus, Five-minute Friday.
10 thoughts on “Are You Collecting Idols?”
amen, sis, we keep in prayer For~THY WILL~BE~DONE~
FOR~HIS~NAME’S SAKE & GLORY~GOD 1ST & HE~WILL~FOR SURE STRAITEN~our~CROOKED PATHS~SO BE IT~LORD JESUS~THANKS~BE
TO YOU GOD~our~WONDERFUL CREATOR~IN WHO~we~WORSHIP
IN~SPIRIT &~IN~TRUTH &~IN~LIGHT OF YOUR PRECIOUS WORD<333
bLessings2u&FamiLy~sis~Mari~Anna 😀 gLory in HIS PRESENCE~HaLLeLujah!
(((hugs)))pLeaSe continue to pray for my dear bioLogicaL sis,Tina~GOD KNOWS her need of HIM~ty~xox
p.s. cousins~Ange & Lisa~R~doing~Gr8~praiSes!
TO~our~RESTORATION KING~LORD JESUS<333
Delighted to hear this! Praise the Lord!
We are so blessed to have such an awesome, loving and caring God! And, yes, I will pray for Tina. May God take care of all of her needs. Blessings upon blessings to you, Crystal, too!
I really appreciate your exhortation about collecting idols. Very timely and on target. Thankful to God that this was the direction of your writing today (with help from the prompt). ~ visiting from FMF
I know too well how important this is. It’s not just the people in the Old Testament that keep idols, isn’t it? Thanks so much for your kind words. God bless you!
Mari-Anna, this is GREAT! It reminded me of the story of the Christian colonization of Ukraine, when the Christian knights tossed the heathen idols into the Dniepr, and the horrified residents ran along the shore, calling to their gods, “Swim1 Save yourselves!”
Well, the wooden gods couldn’t swim, so they turned to the Real God.
#1 at FMF this week.
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/07/your-dying-spouse-339-revelation-and.html
Thank you for sharing that story! Hopefully, we all turn to the Real God! Good to “see” you, Andrew! Healing grace and abundant blessings to you, brother in Christ!
Mari-Anna, love this post. It is so easy to be caught up in collecting other things. It is when God takes them away you realize how much you depended upon them. #66
Thanks so much, Mary! Glad you stopped by. Have a blessed week!