This post by christinecoltman was originally published at GRACE PLACE
Wandering love
James 4.1-10 | CBC Ladies Bible Study | March 2023
How do you hold important things in your heart that you long to be second nature in your actions? In other words, what’s your default when you try to embed commands and directions from the Bible into your life?
Maybe you read a daily devotional, keep a list of emergency verses on your refrigerator or set a reminder in your prayer app to nudge you to pray…
These might be useful prompts to remember Jesus in your day – but on this side of eternity, it’s an everyday struggle to keep our hearts set on the things God says are important. Instead, so many meaningless things fill our lives and cause our love to wander.
But ‘meaningless’ is far too soft; I’m talking about idols.
The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.
John Calvin, Institutes I.11.8
That was one of John Calvin’s famous quotes, but he said it in 1559 and today ‘idol’ is typically a positive reference to celebs and heroes. What Calvin is describing is a huge spiritual battle that’s being fought on the turf of your heart. You see, whatever important things enslave your love, also shape your words and behaviours: this is modern idolatry. These aren’t incense burners or little carved figures wrapped in gold leaf.
Our Western idols are less overt but more expensive and time consuming. They are comforts, lifestyles, time and money, big homes, reliable electricity, coveted relationships, entitlement – and the list goes on.
Here’s a paraphrased definition from the Bible to help: An idol is anything that diverts our gaze from Christ – that keeps us from loving him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Idols are parts of life that are not fit for heaven. Jesus has prepared a place for all of us who know and love him, but how many of our current life choices won’t be fit for eternity.
The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out | Proverbs 20:5
Idol hunt: Read James 4.1-10. Now, let’s start looking at what’s really going on in our wandering hearts.
1. Do you have conflict with others? Jot down some occasions – don’t try to diagnose the issues, just list the relationships where this exists today. Conflict is a good place to start looking for idols because it points us to root issues of our hearts. (James 4.1-2)
2. What usually fills your thoughts? Are your thoughts full of fear? Anxiety? Regret? Scheming? Why not keep a little list for a couple hours (or a day) and note down the highlights from your thoughts. Would you be embarrassed if others could hear what’s going on?
3. What threatens your security? And, when you feel under threat – what’s your response? Do you turn to food, friends, pills, drink, spend money, tune out with mindless tv, social media or ungodly websites?
As you take time to honestly respond to these questions, you’ll start to discover where your trust really is and what’s most important to you. Anything that shakes your trust in God’s care, cause anxiety or worry, the stuff that keeps us up at night – those show up the idol factories in our hearts.
But rather than fixing your behaviours, ponder this:
Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith… | Hebrews 12.1-2
4. What are the competing desires (the weights) in your heart that captivate your love? Having considered where your trust is, you’ll be able to identify your motives.
5. How do we ask in a way that’s according to true pleasure? (James 4.3)
Desires can only be overcome with stronger desires. Look at James 4.8: that’s the invitation God offers, and his Spirit stirs our hearts with. Why not respond?