Dear Friends,
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.
1 Corinthians 10:13-14 (NLT)
What comes to mind when you read “flee from the worship of idols?” The apostle Paul was writing to warn the fledgling Christian community against being tempted to participate in activities associated with the worship of false Roman and Greek gods. Today, theologians expand the definition of idol to include anything that becomes a substitute for God and that leads us to think or act in ways that conflict with the will of God.
In the volume 3 of the Christian men’s study, “33 The Series” (copywrite2012 Fellowship Associates), the authors suggest that each of us may be driven by deep-seated needs for control, for significance, and/or for comfort. These needs foster desires that can become idols in our lives. Every desire demands a choice, and the wrong choice can lead us to sin. No one is free from these desires.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23
Let’s look at how our need for control, significance, or comfort can lead to temptations that lead to sin. But as we look, let’s keep in mind that God offers correction, not condemnation to those who are in Christ.
Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:24
Our need for CONTROL is reflected in steps we take to insure our security or to increase our power. We work to earn a living. We take steps to protect our families. We study to increase our knowledge — all good. But when our need for control gets out of control, we end up hurting ourselves and others. For instance, when we start to see earning more and more money as the way to insure our security or adopt an attitude of superiority based on our education, money and learning have become idols.
We may try to fill our need for SIGNIFICANCE with things: cars, fancy homes, degrees — with our relationships or activities such as raising children, volunteer work, even singing in the choir. All OK, until they become more important than our love for God.
Then there is our need for COMFORT. Food, drink, relaxation, entertainment — all are acceptable until the excessive pursuit of comfort through them becomes the steering force in our lives.
When I read 1 Corinthians 10: “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall”, I am compelled to stop to consider what idols may be interfering with my relationship with the Lord — to question which temptations I must overcome — to check in with God to see where I may be going astray.
Today, I can look in the rearview mirror of my life and see periods when a need for control, for significance, or for comfort led me to pursue my own modern-day idols.
I can also see where the encouragement of brothers and sisters in Christ helped and continue to help me make corrections.
How do you know if something in your life has become an idol? One way is to ask yourself how hard it would be to give it up. Anything you cannot imagine eventually giving up may be an idol.
When we feel that a desire for something of this world is pulling us away from God, we can approach God in faith knowing “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.” 1 Corinthians 10:13b
We can also take comfort in the words of Peter, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:9
Do you need more control in your life? Remember who protects you: The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. Psalm 18:2
Need significance? Consider whose family you belong to: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” 1 John 1:12
Need comfort? All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. 2 Corinthian 1:3-4
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 