Identifying Idols

Over the past two weeks, we have been talking a lot about the vision we believe God wants us to be about the next 5 years – “Intentionally on mission, purposefully making disciples.”  We believe at this critical juncture in the life of Mountain View Community Church, we need to be more resolved than ever before to make sure this happens.  

I believe one of the greatest hinderances that will keep us from being on mission is idols that we all have in our life.  Idols are much more than golden calves, budda dolls, etc.  In fact, many idols that we struggle with are not even bad things, they can even be good things.  However, when we ascribe even a good thing to have greater value and worth than Jesus, they are bad.

Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, who is a pastor in London, gives a helpful definition about what an idol is. He says, “An idol is anything in my life that occupies a place that should be occupied by God alone. . .An idol is something that holds such a controlling position in my life that it moves and rouses and attracts me so easily that I give my time, attention, and money to it effortlessly.” Simply put, an idol is whatever or whoever you and I give central value to in our lives. And because we do that, because we place central value to it in our lives and in our hearts, the rest of our life is completely directed and controlled by it.

Are there good things that you have allowed to be ultimate things in your life and thus have taken your eyes off Jesus?  God calls us to simply repent and reprioritize our lives around that which will matter the most five minutes into eternity.  Let’s keep our eyes FULLY fixed on Jesus!