Day 10 – When Christ Displaces Our Idols

Day 10 — When Christ Displaces Our Idols

Opening prayer

Lord Jesus, as I read your Word today, show me the things that have too great a hold on my heart. Help me to see your beauty, worth and sufficiency more clearly, so that lesser loves may lose their power and you may take first place again. Amen.

Headline

The answer to idolatry is not simply trying harder, but loving Christ more deeply as the Spirit shows us that he is better than what our idols promise.

Acts 17:16-18

Comment

Yesterday we considered the second hurdle that often stops us from sharing our faith: idolatry.

We may be regular churchgoers, Bible readers and pray-ers. We may be convinced that Jesus is Lord, that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, and that people need to hear about him. But if Jesus is not first in our hearts, then whatever is first may silence us when speaking of Christ puts it under threat.

If my idol is approval, I will keep quiet to protect my reputation. If my idol is comfort, I will avoid awkwardness. If my idol is control, I will not risk an unpredictable conversation. If my idol is family peace, I may never speak about the one person my family most needs.

So how do we overcome this hurdle?

First, we need to identify our idols.

That is one of the striking things about Paul in Athens. Luke tells us:

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” (Acts 17:16)

Paul saw the idols of Athens. We need to learn to see the idols of our own hearts.

That requires the help of the Holy Spirit, because idols are often hidden in plain sight. They are usually good things that have become ultimate things. So we need to ask searching questions. What do I daydream about? What do I fear losing? What do I most need in order to feel safe, valuable or satisfied? What do I pray about most urgently? What would make me say, “Once I have that, then I will really live for God”?

Once we can name our idols, we can begin to confess them.

But confession is not the end. We also need to seek in Christ what we have been looking for from them.

In Athens, Paul does not merely denounce idols. He points people to the living God and preaches Jesus and the resurrection. Luke says:

“Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.” (Acts 17:18)

That is vital. Idols are not displaced by moral effort alone. They are displaced by a greater love.

That is why Colossians 3 is so helpful:

“Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (v.1)

Paul does not simply say, “Stop loving the wrong things.” He says, “Set your hearts on Christ.” Look to him. See where your true life is. Remember who you are and where you are heading.

For, as Paul says:

“You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (v.3)

That means your identity, security, future and worth are not found in approval, comfort, success, control or family peace. They are hidden with Christ in God. They are safe in him.

This is where the Spirit must work deeply in us. He teaches us to say something like: “It is not wrong to love approval, security, family, work, comfort or material things. But I was created to love Jesus first. And in him I receive what I have been seeking elsewhere.”

In Christ I have the Father’s approval. In Christ I have eternal security. In Christ I have resurrection hope. In Christ I have an identity that cannot be taken away. In Christ I have a future that is not fragile.

And as Christ becomes more precious, idols begin to loosen their grip.

Then, when we speak about what we love, we will increasingly speak about him.

Why does God want you to hear this today? Perhaps because he is not merely calling you to try harder at evangelism, but to return your heart to Christ. Ask the Spirit to show you what you have been seeking from created things, and then ask him to help you find it again in Jesus. As Christ displaces your idols, your fear will lessen, your love will grow, and your lips will begin to follow your heart.

Reflect

• What idol most often silences you when an opportunity to speak about Jesus arises?
• What have you been looking for from that idol that can only truly be found in Christ?
• How does Colossians 3:1–4 help you remember where your life, identity and future really are?

Action

Take the idol you named yesterday and turn it into a prayer of confession and faith.

You might pray something like this:

“Lord, please forgive me that I often seek __________ from __________. Thank you that my life is hidden with Christ in you. Help me to find in Jesus what I have been looking for elsewhere.”

Closing prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the good things I have made ultimate, and for the ways they have silenced my witness to you. Thank you that my life is hidden with you in God, and that in you I have the approval, security, identity and hope I most deeply need. By your Spirit, displace the idols of my heart, increase my love for you, and make the joy of knowing you evident in my life and expressed by my lips. Amen.