“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” said Jesus in Matthew 6:24.
Our money can certainly be an idol! So can our career, our fitness or our family! At the same time to give away all my money, quit my job, let my body go to pot, and walk away from my family would be a quintessential failure!
So what should I do? Paul was faced with a similar conundrum as the believers were trying to figure out their convictions about idols. For them national idolatry was involved in how meat was produced and what days were honored. In that passage (Romans 14) he said: “One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind {v. 5}.” Furthermore he says that the abstainer should not judge the “indulger” and the indulger should not regard the abstainer with contempt.
This is not a prescription for dealing with clear cut sin issues, but rather a call to respect another’s conviction about how to apply principles that aren’t precepts. Is having a 401K idolatry? Is having a new suit/dress idolatry? Is letting my kids color in church idolatry? And when does rooting for a particular sports team become idolatry? Let each person be convinced before God and let everyone be satisfied with that. Not my opinion, but rather that of the Spirit-filled Apostle – and a call for mindfulness, regarding our decisions and the decisions of others!
Pastor Scott
Grace Notes 