Idolatry
Stay away from the sin of Idolatry.
Idolatry, in Wikipedia’s definition, is the worship of an idol or cult image, a physical image, such as a statue or a person in place of God. In Abrahamic religions, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Idolatry connotes worshiping something or someone other than God as if it were God.
Money has been the most common form of Idolatry from ancient to modern times. Many deny its truthfulness, and we can cite the experience and how money influenced the mind of the faithful during the period when gold and silver were the predominant media of exchange. It referred to someone who had sold out and taken money, taken high office, or had a personal gain in exchange for betraying a person or an important cause.
The phrase comes, of course, from the Bible because it was for 30 pieces of silver that Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ Jesus, caused him to be arrested, and then his story continues that his life was taken for $350 in today’s conversion. Also, in the Bible, a poor widow gained attention from Jesus when she offered two copper coins which were everything she had. So let us follow the context:
“Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.”
“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. They gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44.
We claim that we are faithful, yet when it comes to helping the poor, we turn our back. Others whisper in their mind that they gave their offering to the church, which is good enough, and claim they did their part already. The God of Love is not the same as the gods of our culture, which constitute money, sex, power, comfort, and physical features like celebrities, affluent families, rich and famous people, etc… People idolize them for their success, yet they ignore the truth that they are closer to those gods than the God who gives life.
The First Commandment tells us, “Thou shall have no other gods before me. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ‘There is no other commandment greater than these.” I didn’t say it; I just said what Jesus commanded.
The 10 Commandments List in Exodus 20:2-17 is exciting to read. Therefore I suggest you open your Bible and read it, and it’s worth being refreshed.
Lastly, the teaching of this lesson is fundamental; to choose Him before anything else!
Matthew 6:24- New Living Translation
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. Therefore, you cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
God is all in all!