Idols
Today’s Scripture Selection: First Corinthians 4b
“We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.”
Idolatry is alive and well, unfortunately.
Oh, we may not have small wooden statues scattered around the house. We may not sacrifice animals to a statue in our living room. But the idols are very real – and very toxic.
Most anything can become an idol:
- A relationship
- A bottle of beer or fine aged whiskey
- A job
- A club membership
- A gang
- A religious practice
- A goal
- A talent
- A self-image
- A lawn
- A pill or little bit of white powder
- A god (notice the small “g”) of any type.
But, according to Scripture there is only one true God. And that God is the One who calls us into relationship, service, and life.
But, we too often minimize how many, and dangerous, the gods all around us are. What do we do about it? For one thing, I suggest we pray for discernment.
Prayer: Holy God, help me to understand that you are the one true God. And help me to never place anything or anyone above my relationship with you. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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