idol.

God's been working on me for a while now with the subject of idols. 

an idol, by definition: i-dol (noun)

1. an image or other material object representing a diety to which religious worship is addressed.

2. an image of a diety other than God. (Bible)

3. any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.

4. a mere image or semblance of something. visible but without substance.

5. a figment of the mind. a fantasy.

6. a false conception or notion. a fallacy.

God does not like an idol. just take a quick glance through exodus, leviticus, deuteronomy, and judges. God gets a bit ticked, jealous, and destructive when His people put up idols and worship them instead of Him.

and rightfully so. He is the author and creator of our lives. He did allow His one and only son to die in order to show us how much He loves us.

my idol is love. the idea, the notion, the dream, the fantasy, of being in love. once you've tasted that, let's be honest, it's hard not to have it anymore. it can be an obsession. it's thought consuming. it's the very thing I want the most yet have absolutely no control over. the lack of control makes me crazy sometimes. it's my idol, plain and simple.

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recognizing the above is a good first step. but action must be taken to restore God to his proper place of the most loved, the most longed for.

there's a song on the latest hillsong united CD with a simple refrain that goes something like this..

"my heart will sing no other name. Jesus."

that's my prayer. for my heart to sing no other name but Jesus' name. when you want something to be true. start acting like it's true. and say it's true. and eventually, hopefully, it will become true. so this is the prayer of my heart.

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in church this morning the pastor started his sermon with this brief exercise. "think of the person you love the most, and write down a few things you do to show them how much you love them."

I wrote:

1. profess my love

2. serve and sacrifice

3. give gifts

4. spend time together

then the pastor launched into a long sermon about Luke 14:25-26. I gotta tell you, I tuned out. the beginning half of the sermon was very erudite. too many references to what professors think Jesus' words mean. I get a little lost in that.

I pulled out my notes page and started to draw waves on the top. started to doodle. my pen scanned the top of the page where the Bible reference was listed, and the topic of the lesson. "the incomparable love of God" and right about then, God grabbed my attention yet again.

in verse 26 Jesus is saying that those who are his disciples will love him more than anything else. not hate, literally, those others mentioned (parents, spouses). just in a comparative sense. that you will love Jesus so much that the weight of that love will pale in comparison to the love we have possible for anything or anyone else.

it means that we love Jesus first and most.

that He will be the priority of our love lives.

when we are Jesus' disciples, it will re-orient all other earthly relationships.

Jesus knows that what we long for - to fill our hearts and touch our souls - can only be found in him.

and as the pastor pointed out, even Jesus' disciples in the Bible - the 12 - didn't really adhere to this. they didn't put him first and most. they were sleeping and betraying him even in his hour of greatest need.

so, we shouldn't get all worked up and anxiety-ridden that we find it hard to love Jesus that much.

it wasn't until the Holy Spirit came and filled the disciples, and began working in their hearts and lives, that they began to exhibit signs of Christ being their first and most love. we can't love like that either without the Holy Spirit.

and finally. what's more important in this whole deal is Jesus' love for us. 


He loves us first and most. 


this we know through his sacrifice on the cross. we should be more concerned about His love for us than failing in our love for Him. because nothing can ever separate us from his love.

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I'm feeling like that sermon was just for me. it was God's little way of reminding me that idols are not worth it. no love is greater than his love.

"It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday the sea. We are far too easily pleased." {c.s. lewis}

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my heart will sing no other name.