Hello my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Have you ever been in a frightening situation and heard someone cry out: ‘RUN! As fast as you can RUN away from here!’ If so, did you run? Here’s a really important question: ‘Have you ever sensed the Holy Spirit of God telling you to run’? Has God warned you to get out of a situation as fast as you can? What did you do?
Once again Paul’s letter to the Christians in the dangerous big city of Corinth in the first century has some great wisdom for you and me today, no matter where you live in the world. In 1 Corinthians 10:14 Paul wrote: ‘Therefore, my dear friends, FLEE from idolatry. I speak to sensible people…’ (1 Cor. 10:14) I’m sure you know that whenever you see the word ‘Therefore’ it’s important to look back to what precedes. Yesterday we looked at Paul’s warning and encouraging words that we all face temptation, but God will always provide a way of escape. We have minds for reasoning and freedom to choose wisely to avoid disaster, but almost always that choice requires action, sometimes urgent action, like RUN! Paul here challenges his Corinthian friends to refine their ability to discern when they are being drawn away from Jesus and into idolatry.
Now watch this, friends. Probably when you hear the word ‘idolatry’ you think of man-made statues, incense and people bowing, praying or even putting food out to feed false gods. While in Corinth that was very popular and Christians were being pressured by their friends to NOT abandon those practices as they became Christians, it’s a much bigger and more complex demonic trap, did you know that? For most people the idolatry battle for their soul is not a man-made statue but rather something very legitimate which draws and demands their attention, their energy, their time, their finances, and ultimately their SOUL! The word idolatry simply means our affection and attention is drawn away from God to focus, maybe with a passion, on something or someone else.
This past summer much of the world was captivated by the global Soccer tournament called the ‘World Cup’. For many, many people their favorite team or players rose to the level of idolatry as people spent huge amounts of money, time, and energy to passionately follow and express their adoration for and praise, for their team. It is now American football season and soon will be the Baseball World Series. The same fanatical sports adoration is now gripping millions of Americans this fall. So, here’s an important question: What determines when passion has crossed the line to idolatry?
Perhaps one way to measure that is TIME. You can’t be in two places at once so when your passion for Jesus and your passion for something else calls you to be in two different places at the same time, which is your choice and why? Here’s another test. When your desire to financially support your passion and your desire to tithe or invest in God’s kingdom work collide, where do you place the MONEY? Here’s another test: What is the different emotional response in your heart when you hear the name Jesus or the name of whatever you are passionate about, like a sports team or a vacation place or even another human being?
Now maybe you are thinking this really isn’t a fair comparison. So, let’s make it a little easier. Instead of comparing our passions to Jesus, let’s compare our passions to our spouse or family? In fact, there are several phrases that society has adopted for this: ‘football widow’ is one, ‘football mistress’ is another. We don’t need any further explanation, do we?
So, Paul’s challenge is so very appropriate this September, isn’t it? Paul’s words demand a response from us, don’t they? There are at least three powerful questions that come to my mind, calling for a response if you claim to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.
First… How do you evaluate the relative worth, the value, the significance of Jesus in your life as compared to everything else?
Are you and I willing to call an ‘idol’ anyone or anything that has greater value or significance in our life than Jesus Christ? How do we measure this, really?
Second… If we are willing to practically, both subjectively and objectively look at the comparison between Jesus and everything else in our life, and if we find one or several things or events or relationships which we value more than Jesus, are we willing to call that an idol and classify our passion for that as IDOLATRY?
Are we ‘sensible people’ as Paul wrote to the Corinthians?
Third… Do we have the courage, the desire, do we see the value in reprioritizing so that nothing is more important than Jesus in our lives?
If so, do we understand ourselves well enough that we can see the specific steps we need to take to accomplish that reprioritization of our passions?
Fourth… Are we willing to ‘flee from idolatry’ and will we do it?
What do we anticipate will be the result in our lives if we elevate Jesus to the absolute highest place of priority in our SOUL… our heart, our mind, our will?
Now you and I both know it’s one thing to have this discussion. It’s another thing to actually go through the process. But it’s a whole different matter to take the transformation, re-alignment steps to do what Paul challenges us to do, because of 1 Corinthians 10:12,13, ‘Therefore, my dear friends, FLEE from idolatry. I speak to sensible people…’.
Oh my, I believe the ‘lessons learned’ reflection notes at the link below will be very, very helpful as we give serious consideration to this. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you sense God’s perspective and desire for you here. The worship song I’ve selected today is by Charity Gayle and will call us to celebrate the unique, life transforming power, found only in Jesus. And I’ll be here tomorrow, waiting for you.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Cor. 10:14,15
Choose below to read or listen.
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Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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