Dr. Frank Harrington paraphrased the writing of John Calvin saying, “The heart is a little idol-making factory.”
All through the breadth of human history, especially in a crisis, we crave certain things and the certainty of those things. But it isn’t just the absence of the casual “gotta haves” that draws us away from God (you know—the right coffee, the particular TV shows, the food brought to my door, the social media connections). The thing that most easily replaces my view of God is an established pattern of expectations which I have unwittingly begun to worship. These life patterns become so important that I find myself willing to protect them at any cost.
I make idols every day. But they aren’t carved images of animals. I create an idol every time I prioritize my own desires ahead of God. I even create idols by avoiding God. Any time I ignore the intention of God’s design on my life, I have already built an idol, and then I become an exact replica of the empty image I created. Every time I condemn others, any time I harbor divisions over discipleship, I become that condemnation, that division. I become just like the idol I create.
I want to reflect the image of God who made me, and I need Jesus to restore that image. I need His love to remove my sinful ways and help me identify the unworthy life patterns I protect and worship. I want to worship only the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with no other gods before this Holy Trinity.