Holding On
Idolatry - prohibited in the first commandment of Moses (Exodus 20), idolatry is the act of putting anything or anyone in the place which rightly belongs to Christ.
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” - Phillippians 3:7-14
From where does comfort come? Where are you looking for rest? Is it in the riches this world has to offer? What about your own accomplishments? A boy or girl, husband or wife? For those who are not being saved, this is their portion in life - and there is joy in it - but Jesus instructs us over and over that the joy found in this world is fleeting. It is like a vapor blowing in the wind. King Solomon urges in the book of Ecclesiastes Meaningless! Meaningless! The things of this world are meaningless! They are here one day, and gone the next.
As Christians we are called to forsake our portion in this world as of no value considering the surpassing glory of knowing Christ! Possessions, power, relationships - these are all good and gifts from the Father above, but when compared to the majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ, they are as rubbish.
What are you holding on to? What or who are the idols in your life, and do they compare to Christ? What has replaced the priority that rightly belongs to God in your mind, and in it is there life?
”Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee, oh Lord”. - St. Augustine
Pete Wilson said,
April 19, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Wow. This is a fantastic post. I feel so convicted. I often fall into the trap of thinking I have what I have because of me. With that assumption comes the thought that you must maintain it in they way you got it. There is a lot of pressure with that assumption.
There are several things I need to let go of. Thanks for the great reminder. I’ll spend the next few minutes thinking about the “idols” in my life.