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1 John 5:21 (NLT) — 21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
1 John 5:21 (ESV) — 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
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There is a saying, "The human heart is an idol factory...Every one of us from our mother's womb is an expert in inventing idols."
I know this is true of me.
I'm a technology geek, I love gadgets, I love "cutting edge" stuff. Every time Apple is doing some event I constantly monitor the web checking to see what the latest updates are, if there were any leaked rumors and so on.
________
There is a saying, "The human heart is an idol factory...Every one of us from our mother's womb is an expert in inventing idols."
I know this is true of me.
I'm a technology geek, I love gadgets, I love "cutting edge" stuff. Every time Apple is doing some event I constantly monitor the web checking to see what the latest updates are, if there were any leaked rumors and so on.
This "hobby" subtlety slips from being something that I'm interested in learning more about to something that consumes my thoughts during the day. I find myself day-dreaming about different ways I can use whatever new product has just been launched. Then I picture how much better life would be if I had that product.
But then I have to figure out a way to make this dream a reality. How could I afford something like this? It's clearly worth it I think to myself.
I hate this cycle. I run on this treadmill before and the results are always the same. I felt this way about exercising, "Man, once I do a triathlon life will be so much better! I just need to keep training, maybe there's a better way to train, maybe I need protein powder!" I've felt this way about watches (weird, yes I know) "Wow, that's a nice watch...if I had a watch like that then I would look so much better!" It seems like the song and dance is always the same but the color and shape of the carrot at the end of the stick changes slightly.
Most recently it's been this new iPad. Before that it was a new Kindle Fire, before that a Chromebook...I didn't buy any of these products but it wasn't due to self restraint, rather lack of funds.
Do you know what I'm talking about? Have you experienced this? It's always great once you get the carrot at the end of the stick, but it fades so quickly...then you have to find another carrot. Rinse and repeat....
I write this mostly to "preach" to myself...there is more to life than this. Jesus Christ fulfills the needs and when we get caught up in a cycle like this it means that deep, deep down we are believing a lie about our needs not being met in Christ.
Our behavior is the true indicator of what we believe. We can say we believe this and that, but if our actions don't reflect it...it's not a true belief.
So how do you break this cycle? First, be aware that you're in the cycle! Second, ask God to show you the lie that you believe. It might be something like, "God doesn't have my best interest in mind or he would give me [fill in the blank]." Third, realize that in Christ you don't have to be a slave to those lies.
But then I have to figure out a way to make this dream a reality. How could I afford something like this? It's clearly worth it I think to myself.
I hate this cycle. I run on this treadmill before and the results are always the same. I felt this way about exercising, "Man, once I do a triathlon life will be so much better! I just need to keep training, maybe there's a better way to train, maybe I need protein powder!" I've felt this way about watches (weird, yes I know) "Wow, that's a nice watch...if I had a watch like that then I would look so much better!" It seems like the song and dance is always the same but the color and shape of the carrot at the end of the stick changes slightly.
Most recently it's been this new iPad. Before that it was a new Kindle Fire, before that a Chromebook...I didn't buy any of these products but it wasn't due to self restraint, rather lack of funds.
Do you know what I'm talking about? Have you experienced this? It's always great once you get the carrot at the end of the stick, but it fades so quickly...then you have to find another carrot. Rinse and repeat....
I write this mostly to "preach" to myself...there is more to life than this. Jesus Christ fulfills the needs and when we get caught up in a cycle like this it means that deep, deep down we are believing a lie about our needs not being met in Christ.
Our behavior is the true indicator of what we believe. We can say we believe this and that, but if our actions don't reflect it...it's not a true belief.
So how do you break this cycle? First, be aware that you're in the cycle! Second, ask God to show you the lie that you believe. It might be something like, "God doesn't have my best interest in mind or he would give me [fill in the blank]." Third, realize that in Christ you don't have to be a slave to those lies.
Romans 6:11 (NLT) — 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Galatians 2:20–21 (NLT) — 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
The way you break free from the lie is by being engulfed in the immeasurable love that God has shown for us in Jesus Christ His Son.
So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
AMEN!!!
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