idolatry

I went to check out a new church this morning. I'd wanted to go for a while but felt like it was a little too far from our house to make me want to go there every Sunday. I'd also heard some things I wasn't too excited about to have in a church. However, I had received a good recommendation from a friend (with a 2 1/2 year old, so it actually held weight for me) and we went over to check it out.

Cons:

• 9am start time
• a little far
• not sure about the whole singing-worship part of the morning
• not sure about the kid program for my older kiddo

Pros:

• it's a church
• i can dump both my kids off somewhere for the entire 1 1/2 hours ~ what a dream
• today's sermon was pretty good, hopefully this is a pattern
• i already know a few people that go there
• it seems more multi-dimensional than some of the other places i've visited

This morning the sermon was from Isaiah 2. I have a really hard time paying attention these days to most sermons, and besides I missed the first part of it because my boy needed some assistance... but when he started talking about The Day of The Lord and especially the part about idolatry (verses 6 and following), I couldn't take notes fast enough (writing seems to be the only way I process anything these days). Here are some of my notes. I'm still processing.

• Idolatry: worshipping what I make
• It is the root of most sins; most of my other messes I make for myself (aka sins) are fruits of the sin of idolatry
• I am made to worship God; this gives Him great glory and me great joy
• HOWEVER I am a sinner and a worshiper, which often means I worship the creation rather than the Creator (see Romans 1)
• Opposite of Christianity is not atheism, it is Idolatry (Ps. 115)
  
• We become enslaved to what we love

Now this is the part that really got me thinking:

• I worship my idol that "saves" me from my self-described hell
• examples of this (there were many given):
  
• singleness is your "self-described hell" so you worship marriage
• childlessness is your "self-described hell" so you worship children
• you get the idea.....
• How can you determine what you worship? Think about these questions:
• What's my greatest fear?
• What do I long for the most? What motivates me the most?
• What do I run to when I've had a bad day?
• What frustrates me the most?
• What makes me mad?
• Someone cuts you off on the freeway and you flip them off because you have been disrespected... do you idolize being respected?
  
• What makes me the happiest?
• How do I explain myself and who I am?
• "I live in this neighborhood so I'm special and you're not because you don't live here"
• What am I mad at God about?
• What do I want to have more than anything else?
• If I could change one thing in my life, what would it be?
• Whose approval am I seeking?

We take blessings from God and elevate them to "Savior" status, worshiping creation, not the Creator. This leaves us disappointed, jaded, and depressed, so we create "RELIGION." But it's not religion that will save us, it's Jesus. Hope in Jesus breaks me free from the grip of sin...

God will redeem our idols if we give them to Him; He desires that we live life fully and abundantly. This is what happens when idols are removed from our lives and returned to their proper place.

Ok, this is a kind of lame post meant mostly to help me remember this stuff... but I wanted to think through this all a second time. I immediately had some idols come to mind this morning and although I recognize them, it's hard to move forward through them. I realized that I am comfortable with them and how they fit in my life; how they help me manage and "deal" with my life. I'm not an alcoholic or a drug addict but I might as well be. If I am to remove them to their rightful place (with the help of God, surely I cannot do it on my own), what would replace them? I think that is the difficult part for me. I fear the unknown.