Epicenter: Corinth (Exchanging Idols for Jesus) — Monday
1 Corinthians 10:14
So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. (CSB)
This week's devotionals can basically be summed up in today’s verse above. If you don’t get anything else out of this week, remember this verse.
At first glance, you might think Paul’s statement is obvious. If you’re a Christian, then it should be obvious that we should flee from idolatry, right? Be careful, though, because what is not so obvious is how subtly people, places, and things attempt to steal our affection away from God every minute of every day.
With that in mind, let’s first look at what exactly idolatry is. A basic assumption is that idolatry is the worship of images and false gods, a worship of anything but the one true God—which is correct. However, to reach a deeper understanding of idolatry, we must recognize that idol worship is a matter of the heart.
Tim Keller is quoted as saying, "An idol is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” The sin of idolatry is not new. It was happening before the city of Corinth, and it is still alive today. There is no one idol—anything can become an idol when we allow it to become more important to us than God.
When we allow our hearts to serve, worship, love, run first to, and cling to idols, we choose to turn away from Jesus. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.” So my challenge for you today is to memorize our verse of the day, 1 Corinthians 10:14. There is no more appropriate response to idolatry than to flee!
Monday’s Reflection
Memorization time: Read over 1 Corinthians 10:14 slowly until you can repeat it without reading it. Keep this verse in the back of your mind, and speak it out whenever you find yourself tempted to allow anything to become more important to you than Jesus.
