Point #2: Why We Run to Idols
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Why the allure with idols? In our present fallen state, we tend to prefer things we can see and control over the One whom we cannot see or control.
Further, idols offer immediate relief from whatever discomfort or pain we are facing. Although God does promise to heal and comfort us, the timeline for that is often not immediate.
Finally, some idols hold such power over us because of the affirmation that comes with them. By contrast, idols such as alcohol and pornography carry social stigmas. But what about working long hours at the job? Or getting pumped at the gym? Addiction to work or exercise often bring initial praise from colleagues or friends.
But that only makes those idols more seductive.
As long as the idol keeps giving us some immediate relief or control, we will continue to run to it. And here is the real tragedy. We keep running to it long after we realize it is starting to ruin us. Our idols have become like oxygen. Without them, we can’t breathe. We have to have them.
And this is where idols always take us.
We run to them for control or relief. But it is a lie, as Paul stated. For when we run to them and away from God, we don’t gain control. We lose it. We don’t gain relief. We become enslaved. We are taken into a dark, nether world where our freedom to choose withers.
We are now captives of our own making. The steel bonds around our wrists are ones we fashioned ourselves.
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