Outside of my Sunday experience, I don’t spend much time around other Christians. There are undoubtedly believers I pass by, even those I teach during the week. I spend time in small groups and fellowship one on one. However, most of the people I see day to day don’t share my faith. Our culture, which was once dominated by Christianity, has over time given way to LGBTQ worship, people who call themselves spiritual and not religious, along with those who have just abandoned faith altogether. They are the majority, and we are the minority.
Yet, like us, they make their lifestyles known through word and deed. And what we also have in common, even if not everyone acknowledges, is that we all worship something. The atheist, too, worships something.
Worship means to be wholly devoted to and hold something in high reverence. We know that we all worship something because each of us has values that we believe in and shape our lives around. For the Christian, we say that we believe in Jesus Christ, that He came and died for our sins, offering salvation to those who accept. That prompts us to live a certain way while holding Jesus in high regard.
People who aren’t Christian still have values. Their lifestyles reflect such. For example, those who value social prestige are constantly seeking ways to increase their fame. Anyone validated by possessions is looking for the next new thing to buy. Whatever we worship, we do so because we have to. We want to live lives of meaning.
That brings us to an important question: who do you worship?
As Christianity declines, we will all be spending more time with nonbelievers unless we live in some sort of bubble - but that can be problematic in itself. We don’t want to be confined to an echo chamber that limits our growth or severs us from society, unable to serve those who could potentially come to Christ. The drawback, though, is that the more time we spend in the world, the greater the temptation to become like the world. Sometimes, we can get distracted, withdrawing our attention away from the Lord, and before we know it, our worship has been misdirected. After all, being a Christian can be lonely, and some of what the world offers, like fame and money, can be very useful.
While I can say that I am a Christian who worships God, I would be remiss to not acknowledge the ungodly things I have worshiped - people, validation, pornography. Perhaps you’ve found yourself at times losing focus of what’s holy and drifting towards something worldly.
Today, ask yourself, who do you worship? If not God, then who or what?
Let’s take the time today to reflect and discern how we can restore our worship for the one who deserves all manner of praise.
5 Things People Worship
1. People
Worshiping people may sound like an odd concept, but worship doesn’t always deal with making animal sacrifices and paying someone money. Sometimes, worship comes in the form of believing that a person can commit no wrongs or getting overly protective when that person faces criticism. Think about how society treats celebrities. Or we can consider how some people treat their spouses, children, friends, anyone. The end result, however, is an utter disappointment when we realize that the subject of our worship is just as flawed, if not more, than us.
2. Possessions
The Bible has plenty to say about worldly possessions, including, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). Appreciating material things is not wrong in itself, but a lust for such leads us to sin. The temptation creeps in when we are overly zealous for something immediate and physical. We find comfort and security in what we own and control and far less in God and His providence. Though we may want the next shiny new thing, this sort of pleasure is fleeting. God’s love, on the other hand, is everlasting.
3. Sex
Whether through porn or hooking up, some of us use sex as a coping mechanism for the harsh realities of the world. Sex becomes the way we establish relationships and how we define attractiveness. Rather than a person, the idea becomes the subject of worship. It even becomes how we define our worth. No sex means no worth.
4. Education
There are certain people who want you to acknowledge their academic degrees whenever you acknowledge them. The mindset is, “I paid for this education, now other people need to respect it.” Even if they don’t have a doctorate, some people want you to be in awe of their intellect. The reality is that the value you put on your own degree and education is not the value other people hold because they are not you. Your degree is not theirs. Instead of relying on a degree to feel good about ourselves or command respect, let us each lead respectable lives. That way, people will naturally talk to us as people with integrity.
5. Ourselves
One of the most jarring experiences about communicating in the modern day is talking to someone who thinks the world of themselves. They don’t mind criticizing other people but will not take an iota of criticism themselves. They’re perfect, at least in their heads. You can count on them to talk, take pictures, and make decisions, all based around themselves. As Christians, we must strive to ensure that we don’t worship anything else but God, especially not ourselves.
If you’re not sure how to do that, then here’s an idea.
How to Overcome Idolatry
Discover Your Idol
The only way to beat a problem is to first acknowledge that the problem exists. If you’re the type that doesn’t take time for introspection or criticism, chances are, there’s something ungodly you’re either doing or worshiping. Not because you are especially bad but because we are all sinners. All of us need to take a moral inventory every so often, and sometimes, we even need an outside perspective to give us feedback.
Get Rid of Your Idol
Once the idol has been discovered, the next step is removal. What can you do to separate yourself from the things that take your eyes off of God? If God is our first love, much like nothing can separate us from Him, we should ensure nothing separates Him from our hearts. Either set boundaries or get rid of the distractions outright.
Compare and Contrast
Another way to beat idolatry is to compare and contrast the God you ought to be worshiping with the one of your fixations. Which God is fleeting? Which God loves you? Which God sent His son to die for you? These are helpful questions to recall when our idols fail, and the sting of disappointment inevitably finds us.
Accountability
One of the most common reasons people fall into sin is a lack of accountability. The sad reality of today’s positivity culture is that just about everyone wants to be affirmed and only affirmed. No criticism or “judging,” as we often say. When we don’t criticize or call out people for bad behavior, there’s no accountability for the wrong choices. If there's no accountability, then why would the bad choice stop? Why would we ever stop worshiping false idols? The solution here is to find relationships with the explicit purpose of accountability and simply keep your social circles full of people who will speak the truth, regardless of the discomfort.
Knowing Scripture
Knowing Scripture and taking time to pray will ensure you and I focus and refocus our minds on Christ. There are many things vying for our attention, but with proper knowledge of Scripture, we will learn and, with practice, remember why those idols vying for your attention cannot compare with the Lord.
Conclusion
We all worship something. The question is who, or what. Our time on this Earth is finite, and naturally, we all want to lead lives of meaning. There are so many distractions day to day, so many things and people to care about. Where we devote most of our time, our care, our money, all that determines devotion. Today, no matter how few of us there are, let’s ensure our devotion is granted to the Lord.
Photo Credit: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio
Aaron D'Anthony Brown is a freelance writer, hip-hop dance teacher, and visual artist, living in Virginia. He currently contributes to Salem Web Network’s Crosswalk platform and supports various clients through the freelancing website Upwork. He's an outside-the-box thinker with a penchant for challenging the status quo.
Get in touch with him at aarondanthony.com and check out his debut short story anthology Honey Dreams on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.