Vital signs- Saturday, April 22nd,2023

“Those who make idols end up like them. So does everyone who trusts them.” (Psalm 115:8 GW)

Everyone trusts in something. We can even make good things — like our marriages, families, or church ministries — into idols.

But trusting in things other than God can devastate our lives. If we think who we’re with or what we do will make us totally fulfilled, we’re setting ourselves up for deep disappointment. The Bible reminds us of this in Jeremiah when he says, “Those who make idols are disillusioned” (Jeremiah 10:14 GNT).

But we always do it with our careers, relationships, and bank accounts. We act as if those created things give us meaning in life.

And when we do that, we just set ourselves up for failure. The Bible says, “The poor, deluded fool … trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask: ‘Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?’” (Isaiah 44:20 NLT, second edition)

Oh, yes, those idols are lies. Sadly, idols don’t stop after they’ve disappointed us. Eventually, they enslave us, too.

Whatever you value the most in life, you will become like. If you value money, you’ll eventually become a materialist. If you value pleasure, you’ll become a hedonist. If you value works, you’ll become a pragmatist. If you value above all else Jesus Christ, you’ll become Christlike.

So if putting something else first in our lives warps us, why do we do it?

We want a god we can control. We want to be able to manage him. If we make money our god, we feel as if we can control it. If we make other people our gods, we set out to control them. It makes us feel better.

But we can’t control God. He says, “Don’t reduce me. Don’t try to fit me into your lifestyle. Don’t try to control me.”

What are you trying to control that you need to let go of so that it is not an idol in your life?

Team Wade loves yo and is praying for you❤️👊