In a world that constantly beckons us to seek fulfillment in material success, fame, or personal desires, the danger of idols in our hearts is always prevalent. While idols may seem harmless at first—just fleeting distractions or innocent pleasures—they have the power to quietly usurp the place of God in our lives, slowly distorting our values and priorities. Idols, whether they are in the form of possessions, achievements, relationships, or Taylor Swift, can silently become barriers to experiencing the fullness of God, leaving us empty in the end.
In Psalm 115, it gives a clear picture of those who decide to turn to idols:
“But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;
they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell;
they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.”
That last verse is so telling: “those who make them will be like them.” Making an idol is not just a distraction or a temporary temptation - it’s a decision to become like your idol. The very next part of the verse makes it even broader: “and so will all who trust in them.” The writer of this psalm made it crystal clear to us that those who make and trust in idols become like their idols. We become like the object of our worship.
This is evident in a passage from Romans, too. In the first chapter of Paul’s letter, he describes God’s wrath against mankind and that eventually, if people do not acknowledge their creator, God will give them the idol they have exchanged in place of himself. It says that “God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts…” In other words, if we continually reject the things of God and chase after idols that look like God, he will give us over to them. He will give us the idol what we want. It’s why our faith must cause a dramatic shift in our lives from seeking the world to seeking God.
On the positive, this is why people who seek to attain the attributes of God over a lifetime end up looking so controlled, peaceful, joyful, purposeful, and wise. They have become like the object of their worship, which is God. The most beautiful, eternal being has been in their sights for years, and eventually, they become like him. We must decide in our heart, mind, soul, and strength who we will decide to worship. If we seek after idols, God will give us what we want. If we seek after him, he’ll give us the greatest gift in the world: himself.
*Scripture References: Psalm 115:3-8; Romans 1:24