“For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.” -Psalm 96:45 NKJV
What is your god? Before you answer too quickly, think about it. What is your god? Sports, Cooking Shows, Cell Phone, Television, Internet, Social Media? Is it seeking the approval of men, wealth, prestige, or popularity, or is it something else? An idol is whatever takes God’s rightful place in our heart. Whatever we have set all of our affections and adoration on, whatever sits upon the throne of our life is our idol. God must come first in our lives. God must be the one we seek to live for first (Matthew 6:33), the one we seek to please first, and it is His approval we must first gain (Galatians 1:10).
It is vital that each of us guard our heart because every decision, every action, whether or not we follow God stems from the heart. Why should we guard our heart so diligent? (1) Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Reference Luke 6:45; (2) Your heart will determine the course of your life. Reference Proverbs 4:23; (3) Your beliefs about God and who He is comes from the heart. “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe in and justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved,” Romans 10:8-10; (4) Wherever your treasure is (what you value and cherish most, what you cling to) that is where your heart lies.
What is your god? Each of us as individuals must decide if we will rid our lives of idolatry and repent for putting other things as first place in our lives. We cannot be a friend of this world and be a friend of God. To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. Nothing is worth losing your soul over. The Lord is to be our First Love always.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:35-36)
In His Service,
Linda A. Knowles
Stained Glass Confessions 