Developing the Self Leader
Student 2025
3.1Assignment.Devotion-UnhookingtheBungeeCords-Idolatry.docxGETTING STARTED
In this week’s devotion, we will consider author Steve Brown’s (2015) next “bungee” from which we should unhook: idolatry.
When we hear the word idolatry, it usually evokes memories of those Old Testament Bible stories we may have heard in our youth. Perhaps none was more vivid than when Moses came down from the mountain having received the Ten Commandments from God, only to discover that in his absence the Israelite people had decided to melt down their gold and fashion it into a golden calf that they could worship. Needless to say, Moses was furious!
Today, idolatry is no less a difficulty than it was then…though idols probably don’t take the form of a golden calf on our mantel. Instead, idols in our present-day typically take different forms: the pursuit of riches, fame, or in some cases even success. As author Brown (2015) contended, the root cause of idolatry is a “misplaced worship of and false trust in something we have created and prized rather than God” (p. 64). Seeking fulfillment, security, or even our identity in something other than God is not really so different than what the Israelites did when they melted down their gold and made a calf. In the Holy Scriptures, we read in 1 Corinthians 10:14(new tab) : “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”
Take a moment to reflect: What is the most important thing in life to you? Have you considered your priorities lately? Does pursuing a career or financial gain take precedence over all else for you? Have you considered what it might mean to place Christ at the forefront of your priorities? How might you unhook the bungee cord of idolatry in ways that free you up to be the person God created you to be?
God created each and every human being with an innate inadequacy that can only be filled by Him. Try as we might fill whatever void in life we may experience with money, pleasure, or adventure, we always will fail if Christ does not come first.
INSTRUCTIONS
Write a half-page reflection paper (Word document) that summarizes how you order your priorities in life. What do you consider most important and why? Then, use a Bible or internet search engine to locate two different Bible passages that address cautions about idolatry and/or insights about how we can avoid idols in our lives.
GETTING STARTED
In this week’s devotion, we will consider author Steve Brown’s
(2015) next “bungee” from which we should unhook: idolatry.
When we hear the word idolatry, it usually evokes memories of
those Old Testament Bible stories we may have heard in our
youth. Perhaps none was more vivid than when Moses came down
from the mountain having received the Ten Commandments from
God, only to
discover that in his absence the Israelite people had
decided to melt down their gold and fashion it into a golden calf
that they could worship. Needless to say, Moses was furious!
Today, idolatry is no less a difficulty than it was then…though idols
prob
ably don’t take the form of a golden calf on our mantel.
Instead, idols in our present
-
day typically take different forms: the
pursuit of riches, fame, or in some cases even success. As author
Brown (2015) contended, the root cause of idolatry is a “mispla
ced
worship of and false trust in something we have created and prized
rather than God” (p. 64). Seeking fulfillment, security, or even our
identity in something other than God is not really so different than
what the Israelites did when they melted down t
heir gold and
made a calf. In the Holy Scriptures, we read in
1 Corinthians
10:1
4
(new tab)
: “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”
Take a momen
t to reflect: What is the most important thing in life
to you? Have you considered your priorities lately? Does pursuing
a career or financial gain take precedence over all else for you?
Have you considered what it might mean to place Christ at the
forefro
nt of your priorities? How might you unhook the bungee
cord of idolatry in ways that free you up to be the person God
created you to be?
God created each and every human being with an innate
inadequacy that can only be filled by Him. Try as we might fill
GETTING STARTED
In this week’s devotion, we will consider author Steve Brown’s
(2015) next “bungee” from which we should unhook: idolatry.
When we hear the word idolatry, it usually evokes memories of
those Old Testament Bible stories we may have heard in our
youth. Perhaps none was more vivid than when Moses came down
from the mountain having received the Ten Commandments from
God, only to discover that in his absence the Israelite people had
decided to melt down their gold and fashion it into a golden calf
that they could worship. Needless to say, Moses was furious!
Today, idolatry is no less a difficulty than it was then…though idols
probably don’t take the form of a golden calf on our mantel.
Instead, idols in our present-day typically take different forms: the
pursuit of riches, fame, or in some cases even success. As author
Brown (2015) contended, the root cause of idolatry is a “misplaced
worship of and false trust in something we have created and prized
rather than God” (p. 64). Seeking fulfillment, security, or even our
identity in something other than God is not really so different than
what the Israelites did when they melted down their gold and
made a calf. In the Holy Scriptures, we read in 1 Corinthians
10:14(new tab): “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”
Take a moment to reflect: What is the most important thing in life
to you? Have you considered your priorities lately? Does pursuing
a career or financial gain take precedence over all else for you?
Have you considered what it might mean to place Christ at the
forefront of your priorities? How might you unhook the bungee
cord of idolatry in ways that free you up to be the person God
created you to be?
God created each and every human being with an innate
inadequacy that can only be filled by Him. Try as we might fill
