"The Comparison" -2

"They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright." (Psalms 20:8) Speaking about comparisons, I have been reminded about something else that needs comparing, which is God compared to all else! Nothing else compares to the majesty, the love, the holiness, the all mighty power of the awesome God that we serve! As I perform inspections in many different homes in my line of work, I get a chance to see many different idols that people place within their homes; or sacred shrines that they have placed incense and pictures of Gurus or strange gods; all of which are dead and have nothing to offer but bondage to that which is worshiped. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in 1 Samuel 5 where the Philistines god Dagon feel face first before the ark of God; and then, after they picked the statue up, they came back the next morning to find it fallen again, but this time it's head and arms were broken. Then, as if that was not sign enough that they needed to return the ark, they were destroyed and smitten with hemorrhoids; and where ever they sent the ark among them, that village or town was also smitten. In this modern culture in which we live, our idols can be more than just statues and shrines; they can be anything that we place between ourselves and God. An idol does not need to be worshiped in order to be an idol; an idol is something that takes the place of God in our heart; something that we rely on for protection or security, or we love more than the love we have for God. Nothing can compare to the love of God, and nothing should be stronger that the love for God in our lives! When we read what the apostle John said in his closing remarks of 1 John, we see something that is a warning to those things that can lead astray from our love for God:  John simply says, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols". At the beginning of 1 John 5 in my Bible I have a title, which simply says, "Victory". There is only one place where we can have victory in our lives, and that is abiding in Jesus Christ. If we are not abiding in Christ, then we are lost and outside the sheepfold; which means that we are a sheep that has gone astray. I am convinced that our trust in God is the gauge of our love for Him; because if we do not trust Him more than any other thing, then we do not love Him the most... "And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:24)