I learned, long ago, that Jesus should not only be your first priority, but should be the very center of your life, so that everything else you do is oriented around Him–His will, His plan, His word. Then, according to this model, as long as God is at the center, everything else in your life will radiate from this; in other words, whatever’s at the center of your life influences–nay, even dictates–everything else.
This morning, I was reminded of this model and its implications, and I had to ask myself a hard question: what dictates my life? What determines my next move? Is it God? Or something else?
I’m ashamed to say that, recently, it has been something else. Instead of asking myself, when I make important decisions, “Is this what God would have me do?”, I’ve been guilty of asking, far more frequently, “Will this further my cause to eventually return to England?”
Making this realisation has also prompted me to establish the definition of an idol. Until now, I’ve generally considered an idol to be something you prayed to, usually a statue. (I mean, honestly, isn’t that what most of us think of when the word comes up?) But I discovered, just today, that idols are not limited to objects; an idol is anything that takes the place of God at your life’s center–anything that usurps His throne, in theological terms. Whatever dictates your life, if it is not God, is an idol.
Once you’ve found it out, however, you may have to do something about it–cleanse the temple, if you will. For me, this meant removing anything in my room that reminded me of England: the British flag Beanie Baby, a London bookmark, my map of England, even my tea and electric kettle, all had to go–for a time. I changed my Internet homepage from the BBC to Revive; my desktop no longer displays a picture of Kingston, but WinterJam; and my screen saver is no long Wallace and Gromit, but some of the lyrics to “Healer” (“I believe You’re my portion. I believe You’re more than enough for me. Jesus, You’re all I need.”) It’s up to you, in the end, to decide to what extent your life needs cleansing. But I urge you, if you recognise any idols in your life, do not delay to take action against them! God wants only what’s best for you.
He IS my portion, and MORE than enough for me. Jesus is all I need.
