I have been meditating on one little phrase all day, "Do not be idolaters..." (1 Corinthians 10:7). Idolatry is such a huge struggle for me. I've heard a number of pastors preach on this topic and a number of them have mentioned that idolatry is the root cause of all sin.
Ciaran and I stayed home from church on Sunday and worshipped at home. We listened to a Mark Driscoll sermon and he asked a series of questions in this particular sermon with the intent of identifying idolotry in our lives. I have been ruminating on these questions and the 1 Corinthians 10:7 passage as a result. His questions that were most convincting are as follows(along with a few of my answers):
What am I most afraid of? Failure
What do I long for most passionately? Success
Where do I run for comfort? Ciaran, sleep, escapism through movies and books
What do I complain about the most? My job
What angers me most and gets me frustrated? Disrespect, people talking badly about myself or my family or God
What do I sacrifice the most for? My job.
Why? I want success. I don't want to fail.
Whose approval am I seeking? My students, their parents, the community, my adminstration, my colleagues (It should be God!)
What am I mad at God about? My 3 preps. I want to be a good teacher and I just can't do a good job with this much work to do.
As I reflect on these, God has been showing me how my idol is my job and and I'm serving my pride and striving for success for me. He's not giving me my idol this semester. So I have two choices. I can whine and complain and pout and feel sorry for myself. OR, I can quiet myself before Him and seek for my joy, approval, my identity all in Him. I exist to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. I can keep striving for success and clamoring for man's approval. But that will all be in vain. At the end of the day, my peace is found only in one place and that is in Him. Christ is my everything. Yet, how quickly I forget that when the school year gets underway.
"Do not be idolaters..." (1 Corinthians 10:7)...I know I cannot obey this command without Christ. Yet it is my prayer as I continue throughout my night tonight and as I begin my day tomorrow that He will work in me and fix my eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of my faith, and keep me delighting in Him throughout each moment. Christ is who I need to treasure most.
3 comments:
I am also a teacher. I have three children and a husband. When the school year gets going here, that is also one of the things I struggle with--serving the Lord and glorifying Him through my job and at home with my family. It's really hard with such a demanding job as teaching, but this is something I need to work on as well--through God. Thank you for linking this up to GMG. I know it was no accident that it caught my eye! :)
Thanks so much for linking up with me at Good Morning Girls this past Wednesday! One of my biggest fears is failure also! I was just praying about that this past week. I use to be a teacher and I know the pressure to please everyone...teaching is a very hard job. Please know that I am praying for you! You are right though, we are called to please only one....The One!!!! Thank you for your wonderful post today!
Hey Michelle!
Thank you for commenting on my blog!
As a teacher, I can relate with you. It seems to be a commitment that reaches far beyond the classroom demanding much time and energy. Just remember to begin the day with Him and meditate on His word in the midst of a busy day. It will help you keep Him first!
Looking forward to following your blog!
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