How does one answer the question, “What idols or false gods do men worship?”
Actually, the better question is “what idols or false gods do I worship?”
Usually, when that first question comes up in a Sunday school class, members of the class come up with things that they see others caught up in acquiring or maintaining or lavishing attention on, or depending upon for personal validation or security, and that they think they themselves are not. However, the real question to answer is the second one.
Thinking about idolatry throughout the ages and the common threads throughout them, here is a set of questions I can ask myself when I wish to find a more honest and accountable answer to that second question. Sobering for me to go through.
To whom (not what, nor what book) do I look for guidance in the matters of greatest importance or greatest concern in my life?
What do I turn to for a daily sense of validation, self-worth, or approval that I seek?
To whom or what do I look to validate the rightness and acceptability of the decisions I make or of my point of view?
On whose respect or approval, or on what accomplishments in my life, does my sense of being successful rest?
Of all possibilities, with whom do I most wish to work in unity?
Of all the “hats” I wear, honestly, which one feels most valuable to me? And do I behave in accordance with it if the answer is “a servant of God”?
What causes me to pause when I am given an opportunity to engage in work aimed at “feeding the poor, visiting the sick, and comforting the weary”?
What am I placing my trust in when I have the means and opportunity to share but I “withhold my substance from the poor” anyway?
