In Exodus 20:3-4 God says: “you shall have no other gods before me.” Makes sense. After all, he is our Creator and Redeemer.

He goes on to say: “You shall not make for yourself an idol…” No problem. Back in Egypt and Canaan, people crafted idols, usually out of wood or stone. They represented the deity that a person wanted to worship. We’re certainly not going to do that! Check.

However, we can still engage in a kind of modern idolatry if we’re not careful. We do it when we give anything ultimate priority which isn’t God. Richard Baxter says that “to love something disproportionately is to turn from God.”* None of us would probably admit that we do that. But do we do it mistakenly? 

To answer this I’m going to share four questions from Tim Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods.** I’ll share two of them today and two tomorrow. My hope is that they will help us take an honest look at our (true) ultimate commitments.

1. What do you habitually think about to get joy and comfort in the privacy of your heart? 

Our alone time says a lot about us. What do we usually do with that time to find joy and comfort? Is there something we consistently long for? This might tell us something about our ultimate commitments.

2. How do you spend your money? 

When I look at my own budget, I probably spend the most each month on mortgage payments and bills! But that doesn’t mean I worship my house. This question is meant to help us think about patterns in our spending which have become unhealthy and out-of-whack. This too might tell us something about our ultimate commitments. 

Modern idolatry isn’t as obvious as an image of wood or stone. It’s usually something more hidden (and more respectable) than that. 

To love something disproportionately is to turn from God. Let’s keep things in proportion. Let’s love God with our whole hearts. Let’s love our neighbours as ourselves. And let’s be careful not to let anything else compete for his place on the throne of our hearts.

Notes:

-*Richard Baxter, Depression, Anxiety and the Christian Life, ed. M.S. Lundy (Crossway: 2018), 136.
-**Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods (New York: Dutton, 2009), 168-9.
-Bible quotes are from the NIV.