Functional Gods

Today’s post comes from chapter three of our book. In it, Kelly dives a little deeper into what modern day idols look like. She nailed it down by saying, “I was ruled by my selfishness and dragged around by cavernous desires. Although I was a Christian, so many other things led the way besides God. I professed God, but, functionally, I allowed a slew of other things to act as him.”   That’s the trouble in a nutshell. We allow our sinful flesh to lead us.

“In biblical terms, an idol is something other than God that:  

a.       we set our hearts on- Luke 12:29  “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.”

b.      motivates us- 1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

c.       masters or rules us- Psalm 119:133 “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”

d.      we serve- Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Each issue above has a verse that we can memorize to remind us to turn to God instead of our idols. 

Kelly uses the term functional god because it pulls the concept of idolatry out of distant lands and times and places it in today’s world.  She states, “Suddenly, it’s not just about who I proclaim is my God, but who actually functions as him.”  This statement has stuck with me all day.  It caused me to ponder “What is God’s function in my life?” As I thought about it, it occurred to me that God’s function is to fill all the spaces in my being that I turn to idols for.  When I long for my husband for companionship, God is there and ready to fill that need for someone to talk to. When I turn to food to fill that void when I’m lonely or frustrated, God is there to fill that need too.

The things I substitute for God are not necessarily bad things.  My husband’s company and food are not bad things. But the trouble begins when I try to replace God with them. 

Psalm 106:36 says, “And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.”

That’s what an idol is…a snare. It traps you. Without realizing it you’re sucked into letting something or someone other than God dictate your behavior. And that is where the trouble lies.