A simple definition of an “idol” is: “taking a good thing and making it an ultimate thing.” We are so blessed in our society and culture to have so many “good things.” We have transportation President Abraham Lincoln could only dream about. We have everything from ice in our glass in our own homes to having access to education from our personal screens. We all can agree, we have challenges in life, but we have so many “comforts” that it is difficult to count all of them. With this being said, we must be careful and not get caught in the “if I can think it, I can have it mindset,” because this can be dangerous. Solomon reminds us that our desires can be detrimental!
King Solomon’s story is a sobering reminder of how even the wisest can fall. Though deeply blessed, Solomon allowed his heart to be divided. “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God” (1 Kings 11:4). Solomon’s downfall didn’t happen quickly, but slowly. No one gets up in the morning and plans to walk away from our Lord. Devotion to sin and idolatry is a slow death most of the time.
We face similar dangers today. Idolatry isn’t always about statues; it’s anything we place above our devotion to Jesus. Recently, a brother in Christ sent me this simple, but effective test in relation to help me and all of us guard our hearts against “idols” or anything good we take and make it ultimate in our life:
1. Where do I turn when I am in need?
2. Am I willing to sin to acquire or keep this thing
3. Are my emotions overly heightened around it?
If we turn to comfort, control, people, or possessions before turning to Christ, we may be nurturing a modern-day idol.
Jesus teaches our heart cannot be divided. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). He alone is worthy of our trust, affection, and obedience.
When we identify anything threatening to take Christ’s rightful place in our life, we must repent and realign our hearts. May we never let anything stand between us and the Lord. True freedom and peace are found only when Jesus is our first love. In the end, Solomon teaches us the answer to the “test of life” is to “fear God and keep His commandments.” Otherwise, we too will learn all is vanity!
