Colossians 3:5 (NASB 1995) Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
There is an insatiable quest for materialism in the world. The pursuit of wealth and materialism is their god. People pursue what they haven’t got despite the many things that they already own. They pursue friendships based on people’s net worth, looks and connections rather than love. Their identity is in their corporate positions, their companies, salary package and the circle of influence that they mingle with.
1 Timothy 6:17 (NKJV) Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the loving God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
Sometimes, Christians are willing to give up anything or compromise their walks with God just to belong to a certain strata of society, and this is what haughtiness means in the above Scripture. Greed and the price for being affluent have caused many to pierce themselves with many sorrows, such as the lack of time spent with their children, strained marriage relationships and the loss of close friends in their pursuit of significance in the corporate world, and when all these things are taken away from them, they will experience a sudden loss of their identity.
If we are not careful, Christian can be affected by elitism and trust in uncertain riches so that money and success have taken over to be their god. It is an idolatry in their lives when their identity is built on their possessions, corporate positions, their companies, and the people they associate with.
It is a slippery slope for those who think highly of themselves and belittle others less successful than them, because what they do not realise is that the higher they go, the greater the impact of the fall. Some have gone into depression, disillusionment and even become suicidal when they lose the attention, false significance and security brought about by the things in the world.
Therefore, we have to deal with the idolatry of covetousness and riches. For those who have trusted in uncertain riches, what they don’t realise is that the misery they feel about themselves stems from how they have valued others in their glory days. They believe they are worthless now that the worldly stature is taken away from them.
Lastly, one of the clear symptoms of someone who has been affected by the secular worldview is an indifferent attitude towards God. Have you turned lukewarm and cold towards God and the things of God? If the answer is yes, you need to deal with the idols in your life and begin to worship God as the source of all your blessings in life. However, if the love of money and material things is not an issue in your life, you should enjoy the blessings from God, because Hs is a loving Father who gives good and perfect gifts to us.
Sermon Series: Freely Received and Freely Give
你有隐藏的偶像吗?
歌罗西书3:5所以要治死你们在地上的肢体，就如淫乱、污秽、邪情、恶欲和贪婪，贪婪就与拜偶像一样。
世界有一种对物质的永不满足的追求。追求财富和物质主义是他们的神。尽管人们已经拥有很多东西，但他们仍然追求他们没有得到的东西。他们追求友谊是基于人们的净资产、长相和关系，而不是爱。他们的身份体现在他们的公司职位、公司、薪酬待遇和他们的交际圈中。
提摩太前书6:17你要嘱咐那些今世富足的人，不要自高，也不要倚靠无定的钱财，只要倚靠那厚赐百物给我们享受的慈爱的神。
有时候，基督徒愿意放弃任何东西，或者在与神同行的道路上妥协，只是为了跻身于社会的某个阶层，这就是上面经文中自高的意思。贪婪和富裕的代价使许多人用许多悲伤刺透自己，比如缺乏与孩子相处的时间，紧张的婚姻关系，以及在追求企业界的重要地位的过程中失去亲密的朋友，当所有这些都被拿走时，他们会突然不知道自己是谁了。
如果我们不小心，基督徒可能会受到精英主义的影响，信靠不定的钱财，以至于金钱和成功已经成为他们的神。当他们的身份建立在他们的财产、公司职位、公司和他们交往的人身上时，这些就成为他们生活中的偶像崇拜。
对于那些自视甚高而轻视不如自己成功的人来说，这是一种滑坡效应，因为他们没有意识到的是，他们爬得越高，坠落的影响就越大。当他们失去了世界上的事物所带来的关注、虚假的地位和安全感时，有些人会陷入抑郁、幻灭甚至自杀。
因此，我们必须处理贪婪和财富的偶像崇拜。对于那些信靠不定的钱财的人来说，他们没有意识到他们的痛苦来自于他们在生命的巅峰时期是如何评价他人的。他们认为，既然世俗的地位被剥夺了，他们就毫无价值了。
最后，受世俗世界观影响的人的一个明显症状是对神漠不关心的态度。你对神和神的事，是不冷不热的吗?如果答案是肯定的，你需要处理你生命中的偶像，并开始敬拜神，因为祂是你生命中所有祝福的来源。然而，如果对金钱和物质的爱在你的生活中不是一个问题，你就可以享受神的祝福，因为祂是一位慈爱的父亲，祂给我们各样美善的恩赐和全备的赏赐。
讲章系列:白白地得来，白白地舍去
Image Source：pixabay.com