Here is a popular saying: "happy-wife-happy-life." When I lived this philosophy, I was a frustrated, angry and confused just to name a few heart issues. Little did I know I was partaking in idolatry, which was the root issue feeding the outward manifestations (fruits) of inward stuggles. Consider a closer look at idolatry:i·dol·a·try
(ī-dŏl′ə-trē)
n. pl. i·dol·a·tries
1. Worship of idols.
2. Blind or excessive devotion to something (thefreedictionary.com).
Here's one more definition...
Idolatry [N] [T] [S]image-worship or divine honour paid to any created object. Paul describes the origin of idolatry in Romans 1:21-25 : men forsook God, and sank into ignorance and moral corruption ( 1:28 ).
Here's a Biblical definition found in Colossians 3:5-6.
Points of Observation:
1) Covetoussness is Idolatry.
2) Covetoussness takes places in the heart.
3) Covetoussness belongs to the earthly nature in you (Believer).
4) Covetousness needs to be put to death.
6) Because of Covetousness, the wrath of God is coming!
The heart of the Idolatry issue is an issue of the heart. When the desires of our heart go to something/anything that is NOT GOD for joy, happiness and fulfillment, we have participated in Idolatry.
John Piper adds:
"It starts in the heart, craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God. That is an idol. Paul calls this covetousness, a disordered love or desire, loving more than God what ought to be loved less than God and only for the sake of God. But covetousness is the condition that this disordered heart is into, an act of loving too much what ought to be loved less. And that is why the wrath of God is coming. That is what idolatry looks like today. And it is everywhere in our culture."
My Pastor reminded me the other day that idolatry can by any good thing that takes your focus away from God. It doesn't necessarily need to be intrinsically evil - it just has to take your attention off of God.
What we run to first is an idol. Here's a test: What is something you do over 50x a day, it's the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before you sleep? Is it checking your e-mail. Then maybe e-mail is your idol? Just maybe...
Back to the genius title of this post: The "Happy-Wife-Happy-Life" philosophy is an evil idolatrous one because the focus of the husband is now his wife instead of the creator of the wife. Attention is shifted from the creator to the creation. Because of that, the wrath of God is coming.
This is not meant to be a stab at wives happiness. Wives, you actually don't want your husbands to make an idol out of you. You want your husband to first and foremost do evertying in your marriage to please the Father. If he does that, you will see a man who is free from needing you to talk a certain way, act a certain way, eat a certain way, look a certain way, because you are no longer his "go to" for happiness and joy. He goes to God and God alone who supplies all his needs according to His riches and glory (Philippians 4:19).
Here's a Biblical definition found in Colossians 3:5-6.
5Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:b sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.6On account of these the wrath of God is coming.c
Points of Observation:
1) Covetoussness is Idolatry.
2) Covetoussness takes places in the heart.
3) Covetoussness belongs to the earthly nature in you (Believer).
4) Covetousness needs to be put to death.
6) Because of Covetousness, the wrath of God is coming!
The heart of the Idolatry issue is an issue of the heart. When the desires of our heart go to something/anything that is NOT GOD for joy, happiness and fulfillment, we have participated in Idolatry.
John Piper adds:
"It starts in the heart, craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God. That is an idol. Paul calls this covetousness, a disordered love or desire, loving more than God what ought to be loved less than God and only for the sake of God. But covetousness is the condition that this disordered heart is into, an act of loving too much what ought to be loved less. And that is why the wrath of God is coming. That is what idolatry looks like today. And it is everywhere in our culture."
My Pastor reminded me the other day that idolatry can by any good thing that takes your focus away from God. It doesn't necessarily need to be intrinsically evil - it just has to take your attention off of God.
What we run to first is an idol. Here's a test: What is something you do over 50x a day, it's the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before you sleep? Is it checking your e-mail. Then maybe e-mail is your idol? Just maybe...
Back to the genius title of this post: The "Happy-Wife-Happy-Life" philosophy is an evil idolatrous one because the focus of the husband is now his wife instead of the creator of the wife. Attention is shifted from the creator to the creation. Because of that, the wrath of God is coming.
This is not meant to be a stab at wives happiness. Wives, you actually don't want your husbands to make an idol out of you. You want your husband to first and foremost do evertying in your marriage to please the Father. If he does that, you will see a man who is free from needing you to talk a certain way, act a certain way, eat a certain way, look a certain way, because you are no longer his "go to" for happiness and joy. He goes to God and God alone who supplies all his needs according to His riches and glory (Philippians 4:19).
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