Zondervan Blog

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Carving Up the Heart: 2 Views on Trust & Idolatry [Excerpt] Posted: 24 Apr 2012 07:27 AM PDT   John Ortberg and Thomas Watson — two author/pastors who lived nearly 300 years apart — share complementary views about the sly faces of idolatry. [Excerpt from NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible: Voices from the Past and Present.]   Thomas Watson {AD 1620 - 1686} Thomas Watson If God is going to be God to us, we must trust in him ... "My eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge" (Psalm 141:8). "My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge" (2 Samuel 22:3).   God is the only one in whom we can trust. Every other creature is a false refuge. They are like the Egyptian reed — too weak to support us, but strong enough to wound us (2 Kings 18:21) ... Only God is a sufficient foundation to build our trust upon. When we trust him, we make him a God to us; when we do not trust him, we make him an idol.   To trust in God means to rely on his power as a Creator, and on his love as a Father. Trusting in God involves committing our primary treasure — our soul — to him. "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (Psalm 31:5). As the orphan trusts his guardian to care for his inheritance, so we trust God with our souls. When we do, he becomes our God.   John Ortberg John Ortberg Few people actually bow down and worship stone idols these days. But idolatry is still present in our day. Anything we allow to take the place of God in our lives can become a Baal. The things we try to embrace and cling to while we still hold onto God can become idolatrous.   A Baal is anything that tempts us away from full devotion to God. For example, a Baal can be: a relationship that dishonors God a lifestyle that keeps you from being generous to the poor a habit or an addiction that you know God wants you to give up but you refuse a grudge against someone who has hurt you a struggle with pride and the power it has over you We are all tempted to tell ourselves that we can hang onto our idols and God at the same time. What God taught the people of Israel, and what he wants to teach us, is that it is impossible to hold both God and idols in our heart. There is simply not enough room.   Learn More Learn more about NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible   (Images & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of NIV Voices of Faith Devotional Bible. Image of Thomas Watson Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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