Making An Idol Of God

How can we make an idol of God? We are suppose to worship Him, aren’t we? Am I suggesting that we can worship God too much?

Once when someone was talking with a woman about a biblical truth she was upset with what was being said. It didn’t agree with her ideas. Her response to the individual sharing with her was “That isn’t the god I serve!”

That remark helped me to realize how often we make God into our image. Rather than look at ourselves and become transformed into His image we simply decide that that isn’t what God is like.

But can we really change God to conform to our ideas? Is that biblical? Who is the one that is suppose to change?

God said of himself: “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6

God does not change into whatever we want him to be, he does not and cannot change for he is perfect. The change that needs to be made is in us. We need to come into harmony with His will. The change that he wants for us is only for our good that we can become happy.

The Bible says: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2

Who would try to change a beautiful work of art? Would we try to change the Mona Lisa? Of course not! Why? Because it is perfect. God is much more perfect that that piece of art but imperfect people would rather change the God they serve than to allow him to work the transformation in them  that is needed.

If we look into a mirror and see that our face is dirty do we get some paint and begin changing what the mirror looks like? The problem isn’t with the mirror, it is with us.

How do we do that? We are so weak and failing and cannot change ourselves. But God being the all compassionate, powerful and loving father that he is can give us the power to do what is right. He can transform us. Jesus says: “Ask and ye shall receive…”

Through Ezekiel God promises: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

How do we begin to allow God to make that change? The Bible gives us this important principle: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor. 3:18

We should behold God and his son Christ. But, you say, I can’t see either one of them. We have the Bible that gives us a picture of who he is and what he is like. As we read the Bible and study how God has dealt with people in the past we can see who he is and we will become more like him. Instead of watching TV and becoming more like the evil people we see on TV we should become transformed into the image of our Savior that loves us and gave his life for us.

As we allow him to change us we will no longer be worshiping a god that has been created into our image but we will be transformed into a perfect image of him in character. As we study the Bible we soon find that those things that are important to God are important to us. His goals are our goals, the things that make him happy make us happy. Our methods of worship will be what makes him happy because we will be asking him how he would like us to worship him. We will be studying to find out what he wants instead of following Cain who decided to serve God on his own terms.

If our god that we serve isn’t like the one in the Bible then we are serving an idol of our own making---we have created God in our image.