FIRE YOUR IDOLS
James Bonney

”Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods” Galatians 4:8.

There is a war going on in our heart and mind every moment of every day for who will occupy the center. Who will you worship? The question is not will you worship, the question is who or what will you worship? What is currently occupying your heart in this moment? The truth is anything we worship that is not God is an idol. So how do we continually restore the glory and worship of God to the center of our affections? Don’t argue with your idols, fire them!

Ray Ortlund illustrates it like this:

You and I are not integrated unified whole persons. Our hearts are multi divided there is a boardroom in every heart. Big table. Leather chairs. Coffee. Bottled water. Whiteboard. A committee sits around the table. There is the social self, the private self, the work self, the sexual self, the recreational self, the religious self, and others. The committee is arguing and debating and voting. Constantly agitated and upset. Rarely can they come to a unanimous, wholehearted decision. We tell ourselves we’re this way because we’re so busy with so many responsibilities. The truth is we are just divided, unfocused, hesitant, unfree.

That kind of person can “accept Jesus” in either of two ways. One way is to invite him onto the committee. Give him a vote too. But then he becomes just one more complication. The other way to “accept Jesus” is to say to him, “My life isn’t working. Please come in and fire my committee, every last one of them. I hand myself over to you. I am your responsibility now. Please run my whole life for me.” That is not complication; that is salvation.

“Accepting Jesus” is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols.

Don’t tolerate them – fire them!
When Jesus takes the boardroom, he is in charge, he is who we serve. No- other part of you gets a vote. So here’s the question: Who do you need to “fire”? What aspect of your life is still enslaved by idols? Where are you not allowing Jesus to have the final vote?

“For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” 1 Thessalonians 1:9.