Sentence Tuesday

If you uproot an idol in your life 

and fail to plant the love of Christ in its place, 

the idol will grow back.

-Tim Keller 

[photo credit]

He is Kanna.

Teacups full of Treasures

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. Exodus 20:4-5a

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They angered God by building shrines to other gods; 

they made him jealous with their idols. Psalm 78:58

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You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, 

whose very name is Jealous, 

is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you. Exodus 34:14

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For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 2 Corinthians 11:2-3

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Teacups Full of Treasures nailed it once again. Today it quiets my busy mind and brings my heart to stillness. And in my silence my beloved Jesus whispers, “You are My beloved and I am jealous for you.” God is jealous for me for the reason that He is at risk of being displaced in my life. Heartbreaking as it may sound, choosing gods over God is not an unlikely reality. I am guilty of it. People, to-do list, events, beauty, internet and just about anything can easily become a god/idol in my life.

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Therefore, I must continuously return to the basics: prayer and His word. There is no greater combo than prayer and God’s Word, to ignite a passionate love for God. And genuine love produces a life of obedience. And an obedient life desires nothing more than to please, honor, glorify, and position God over all else.

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But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations 

on those who love me and obey my commands. Exodus 20:6

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I also share in Paul’s jealousy for you. You are God’s beloved bride, and it is my responsibility that your devotion for Christ be pure, undefiled and undivided. And so, I encourage you to drop the gods. Repent and return to your first love by doing the very thing you did when you first met Him: prayer and the Word. May we be a people who desire nothing else but to love God and obey His commands. "God doesn't want something from us. He simply wants us." -C.S.Lewis

idols...

Tonight we studied Deuteronomy 12 at our midweek service. It was a great time of worship, reflection and fellowship.

These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God with such things. (verses 1-4) Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; but in the place which the LORD chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you. (verses 13-14)
 

What is an idol?
something vital that grips our heart's affection. an excessive admiration, devotion,  attachment to a person or thing that takes the place of God.

Recognizing the idols around you.
Appearance - Beauty - Achievement - Money - Credit Cards - Religion - Ministry - Marriage - Sex - Relationship - Children - Career - People - Possessions - Video Games - SHOPPING - TV - etc... you get the point!

Forsake the idols that bind you.
The idols in our lives cannot save us. The idols cannot satisfy. Only Jesus can save. Satisfaction is only found in Jesus. Take your eyes off of yourself and look unto God.


What are the idols in your life?
I encourage you to search your heart, take inventory... what have you found?
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24