Out With The Old

As we begin a new year, could I challenge you to get rid of some old things? Maybe you are thinking: Well, I do that every beginning of the year. I throw out the old, torn, broken things around the house so I can start using my new things. I want to challenge you to throw out your idols. You might be offended by that challenge. How dare you say I have idols in my home? I am not heathen; I am a Christian. You probably do not have any gold or wooden statues that you fall down and worship like they did in Athens (Acts 17). (If you do, repent and turn back to God.) The false god that I am talking about is self.

Why would I claim that we are our own gods? How do we make decisions? This is what I want. This is what I think. This makes me happy or feel good. This will make me look good. We could go on and on, but I hope you get my drift. Too often, the god we serve is self because we are not asking, “What does the true God want? How would He respond? What would He do? What would He command?”

How do I rid myself of this false god? First, I have a desire to please God. Second, I find out what pleases God (Ephesians 5:10). How do I know what pleases God? It is not what I think but what the Bible says. Third, I want to get into the Bible and learn it so that I know what God desires of me. Fourth, I want to take the Bible and apply it to my life (James 1:22). It reminds me of what Paul is saying in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (See 1 John 5:21)