Spiritual Warfare · Holy Living

Thanking Someone Else Instead of God? Idolatry?

4 min read, approximately

“Know today, and reflect in your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below, and there is no other. Keep his statutes and commandments, which I give you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, and so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you forever.” (Deuteronomy 4:39-40)

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We know that our King is every good thing we can think of or even imagine. Yet he is also a consuming fire, a jealous God! (Deuteronomy 4:24)
Throughout time, God has given us far more than we expected on countless occasions, yet we have turned to idolatry to give thanks for God’s works.

Below I will offer some “Idolatry? Wait!” reflections based on the Bible to help us consider and rethink the blessings we have received from God and, along the way, learn to thank him:

\1. Idolatry? Wait! It Was God, Not Someone Else, Who Created Us

“For by him all things were created that [are] in heaven and that [are] on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers; everything was created by him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16)

2. Idolatry? Wait! It Was God, Not Someone Else, Who Blessed Us to Be Holy

“Blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly [places] in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love;” (Ephesians 1:3-4)

3. Idolatry? Wait! It Was God, Not Someone Else, Who Gave Us the Opportunity to Become His Children

“But to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. They were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

4. Idolatry? Wait! It Was God, Not Someone Else, Who Sent His Son So We Could Receive Forgiveness of Sins, Be Justified, and Receive an Inheritance

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for us, who are guarded by God’s power through faith for the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

God’s Word Records So Much That God Has Done for Us!

Let us read it! Then we will have even more reasons to understand why it is good to thank God!

For example, imagine we have a child whom we feed, care for, and shelter as parents. We know that our child finds rest and peace in our arms… Yet the child thanks everyone except us for what we are doing. How would we feel?

“For his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divinity, have been clearly visible since the creation of the world, understood through the things that have been made, so that they have no excuse. For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images resembling corruptible humans, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.” (Romans 1:20-23)

Let us not be confused: it was not this or that person who did us the favor. It has always been, and always will be, God’s hand working through that person as an instrument to bless us… because:

“His eternal power and divinity have been clearly visible since the creation of the world.” (Romans 1:20b)

Today Is a Good Day to Thank God!

_**Remember to stop by the Songbook

May God continue to bless you, and may you continue to have an excellent day in Christ Jesus!