The Heart Of A Man

American Idols

No, no, no. This post is not about the Reality TV show, but I thought it might grab someone's attention and get them to read it. If you've read this far, it looks like it's working.

Actually, this is a blog that God's been working on in my heart for the last several days. It is based on Ezekiel 14:1-8. I'll admit, I don't normally read in Ezekiel. I don't read in the Old Testament nearly as much as I probably should, but I heard someone speak on this passage recently and the Holy Spirit has not let me get away from it since.

The basic set up is this...the elders in Israel come to Ezekiel seeking a word from the Lord. And they got more than they bargained for - ever had that happen to you? :-)

The Lord speaks to Ezekiel saying, "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all?" OUCH! My first reaction is to say, "Man, these guys are dumb. They first worship idols, then they as God's prophet to see what God has to say to them." But on closer look, God doesn't say that they worshiped idols made by hands, but that they "set up their idols in their hearts." There was something in their lives that was more important to them than God. Maybe these guys weren't as dumb as I thought. Maybe they just weren't paying attention to the state of their hearts.

Well, God wasn't finished..."Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols." That made me squirm a little bit. Okay, so if I have something in my heart that is more important to me than God and I come to Him to seek His direction, He is going to address the state of my heart, not what I am seeking direction about.

So, that made me think. What is it that is in my heart that is more important to me than God? It took me a little while to get warmed up, but I kept looking until I was able to focus. I think my heart's eyes had gotten good at looking at external things and had some trouble focusing in this close up. Here's some of what I found...

Having kids that behave perfectly and won't make me look bad by acting up in public.
Having a marriage that looks like it's working perfectly.
Being able to balance work, taking care of things around the house, and my spiritual life.
Being a more mature Christian man and a strong head of my home.

The first two were fairly easy to see, and I suspect while most people could understand the struggle to want to "look good," they would agree that to make that a goal can easily become more important than loving your kids or your spouse and become an idol. But the last two of these took me a while to see.

Balancing work, home and spiritual journey is something that everyone wants to do...and needs to do. And how can becoming a more mature Christian and a strong head of my home be and idol? That didn't make sense to me. But the Spirit wouldn't let it go...He kept taking me back there.

Then I got it.

The desire for those things was stronger than my desire for God. I wanted to become something that only comes as God transforms me into Christ's image. And the only way that can happen is for me to yearn for God, seek Him, spend time with Him, open my heart to Him, truly make Him first. He hasn't been my first love. I've desired the end result, not the Giver of the gift.

I've really had to check myself several times as I've realized this. I find myself still focusing on where I want to be spiritually rather than on God. I don't want my spiritual journey to be an idol, a stumbling block.

As I focus on God I see more easily when I'm making something more important than Him. I'm a little more patient with my kids, and forgiving when they aren't perfect. I'm a little more sensitive to my wife. And, I find that I'm more likely to grow and be strong spiritually.

When I remove the idols in my heart and seek God, He will give me the desires of my heart. He will make me more like Him.

Thankfully life is a journey. I'm not expected to become perfect. I have a long way to go before I get there anyway - just ask those who know me best.

Seeing God work as I begin to remove idols is a great motivation. But if I ever need a reminder of what is at stake, all I have to do is read verses 6-8 of Ezekiel 14. The consequences of leaving the idols are severe. We would all do well to hear the word of the Lord and begin to tear down our idols.

posted by David @ 9:52 PM