Stewardship Jesus' Way - question 2

What influence do material things have and how do you know if they have become idols in your life? 

I would answer this question by asking some others: What are the signs or indications that these things are getting in the way of my relationship to God (or even my personal peace)? What could I not go without?  Knowing my selfish heart can talk myself into anything, what potential idol in my life have I gone without lately?

First of all, let’s be clear: We all have idols in our lives.  If we can commit to a few foundational actions we have a chance of not being enslaved to the idols that creep into our lives uninvited.  Foundational action #1 – Let’s be honest about the idols in our lives; Foundational action #2 – Let’s not be proud of our idols or okay with them in our lives – believing that life without idols is truly better than life with them; Foundational action #3 – Ask the God of the universe to reveal the idols we see and the ones we don’t see in our lives and ask Him to take them away in exchange for something better.

Abraham was a very wealthy man.  God called him to go to a land that would be difficult to support the lifestyle Abraham was accustomed to in Mesopotamia. And yet, he went in faith, believing in the goodness of a God He hardly knew.  Abraham wasn’t attached to “stuff,” though he had a lot of it.  It didn’t hinder him from following God when asked to go.  His actions proved that his faith in God was real, that his surrender was genuine and that his heart belonged to God. 

Does God have your heart?  Will you give everything to Him even if it seems unreasonable?  (Are you beginning to see that this is beyond God wanting your stuff, but wanting your heart?)  Will you surrender your idols? 

Often God will ask something from us beyond our control and/or beyond what we can figure out. He is inviting us into the struggle to receive His way by faith in His goodness, an invitation to relationship.  God doesn’t want material wealth to be an issue, just a tool.  He created the world for us to enjoy and use to bring Him glory.  It was never meant to be a matter of ownership – our stuff and God’s stuff – but of relationship where hearts commune in the same space. God has created our hearts to be the stages of the universe through which He unfolds His plan.  How we play out our lives is either unto Him or to ourselves.

Allow God to continually show you the idols in your life (barriers to relationship with Him) and take surrender seriously.  He loves you and wants what is best for you. Could you say that of the things that are currently directing your life?