"It may be useful to remember that Christian faith is ultimately dependent upon what actually happened rather than upon the views of historians."
- I. Howard Marshall
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Whatever we direct our affections, energies, and hopes towards is our object of worship. Our heart needs Jesus; our flesh craves idols. This is why growing in love for Christ requires daily execution of idols. But how do we know what our idols are?
In The Bookends of the Christian Life Jerry Bridges offers twelve "questions" to help us identify our functional saviors:
1. I am preoccupied with ________.
2. If only ________, then I would be happy.
3. I get my sense of significance from ________.
4. I would protect and preserve ________ at any cost.
5. I fear losing ________.
6. The thing that gives me greatest pleasure is ________.
7. When I lose ________, I get angry, resentful, frustrated, anxious, or depressed.
8. For me, life depends on ________.
9. The thing I value more than anything in the world is ________.
10. When I daydream, my mind goes to________.
11. The best thing I can think of is ________.
12. The thing that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning is ________.
HT: Harbor Hawaii and Milton Stanley
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Comments on "12 Steps to Identifying Your Functional Saviors":
4. Raindream
- 09/15/2010 11:38 am CDT
This is a convicting list.
I had an idea recently that many in the church would benefit from walking through some of the steps in a 12 step program like Alcoholics Anonymous. In particular, step 3 is making a deliberate decision to surrender to the Lord, and step 4 is making a stark, honest inventory of our moral behavior. It could open eyes for some in the church. The list above could accomplish the same thing for the believer who has not considered his relationship with Christ.
5. ak
- 09/15/2010 11:37 pm CDT
Bill - don't be too sure that it's completely wrong to put "family" in those slots. For instance, isn't part of our role in life to protect and preserve our families without counting the cost? And if you told your family that you filled in the blank, "The best thing I can think of is ____" with them, they'd probably really treasure that.
Fatherhood is a great thing; God himself asked us to pray to him as "Our Father"; fatherhood is honored by that. Marriage is a great thing; God is called our "husband" and our "bridegroom"; marriage is honored by that. They are great, god-pleasing vocations, devoting our lives to love like that.
Take care & God bless
Anne / WF
6. Bill
- 09/16/2010 8:36 am CDT
Thanks Anne,
I think there is a balance there, of sorts, but I also get what the list says about me and it's a bit troubling.
That being said, there were some questions that don't make sense if "Jesus" is the answer. Among them are
4. I would protect and preserve ________ at any cost.
5. I fear losing ________.
7. When I lose ________, I get angry, resentful, frustrated, anxious, or depressed.
Jesus doesn't need my protection or preservation, and I don't fear losing Him.
7. Jared
- 09/16/2010 8:41 am CDT
There's nothing wrong with cherishing family, wanting to protect family, being sad if someone in our family is hurt of suffering, etc. I don't think that's what the list is getting at.
Nor is it saying we should put "Jesus" into the blanks.
It's just a general list, taken altogether, that can be diagnostic of where our ultimate treasure is. No need to absolutize each question or overthink it. Let's just be conscious to have Christ as our ultimate treasure, which means being aware of our natural drift to idolatry.
The cool thing is that this doesn't mean we stop enjoying or loving good things. This means actually loving our families better and enjoying good things (like work, sex, sports, etc.) more than if they were our actual treasure.
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols" and what-not.
9. Shrode
- 09/16/2010 11:09 am CDT
I just finished listening to the Focus on the Family dramatized version of "The Screwtape Letters" starring Andy Serkis as Uncle Screwtape.
It was AWESOME!!!! But on to my point...
Screwtape tells Wormwood that it is bad for the patient to enjoy simple things like tea or a nice walk. In fact, Screwtape says that the enjoyment of things for their own simple pleasures leads the patient to the Enemy.
So if we reverse it and think it through, Lewis is saying that enjoying things God has given us leads us to God...
I think that's the important thing to help us stay away from idolatry. Do I go to that thing and stop there, or do I appreciate that thing as a gift from God, enjoy it,and in doing so give praise to the Giver?
"Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it for the glory of God."
Am I stretching that verse too much to say that it also includes enjoying what you are eating and drinking?
I'm agreeing with Jared in comment #7, I just thought that Screwtape sheds light on it too. :-)
Sobering confession . . . the words "my family" fit into many of these slots.
I find myself having to pray for perspective because at times I begin imagining what could go wrong (one of my children getting badly hurt, for instance) and it takes awhile for me to get centered again . . .