Idolatry and Contentment

After hearing Pastor Jim's message from Grace's website, I looked into Pastor's Jim topic on "Idolatry" because what he said was very interesting and very true. After looking into the Scriptures, I have learned more about "idolatry" and it is true that idolatry basically means worshiping something other than God. In other words, idolatry is not only related to images or materialism or anything of that nature. Idolatry is more about my inner heart, mind and soul. Before I get into the topic of idolatry, I want to look at the Scriptures' two greatest commandments. 1. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength. (Mark 12:30 NLT) 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31 NLT) (Also see Matthew 22:37-39) The key is about my heart. In Matthew 6:21, Jesus said "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be." (NLT). Therefore, "Idolatry" basically means: 1. We should have no other gods. (Exodus 20:3) 2. We should not be devoted to anything more than God (Deut. 4:23) 3. We should not forget God. We forget God when we "give in" to idolatry. 4. We should not share God's glory with anything else (Isaiah 42:8) 5. We cannot serve both God and worldly things. (Luke 16:13) How to avoid idolatry? 1. We must devote our hearts to God. (Joshua 24:14) 2. We must look to God for our security. (Judges 10:13-16) Some examples of Idolatry Corrupting our thoughts with any images or things or anything that takes away God's time with us. This requires priority in our lives. God requires absolute devotion from us. Which means, He does not want us to place Him second place in our lives. Spiritual renewal begins when we put God in his rightful place-first. Contentment is the opposite of Idolatry. Contentment is enthusiasm with no worldly cause. Contentment is excitement in the midst of illness, compassion over the needs of someone who is worse off than you, joy in the midst of pain. Contentment says, "Thy will be done, Lord," even when His will means a cross. Contentment is never being possessed by your possessions; never being irritated by another's success.