1. I am preoccupied with ________.Whatever you fill in the blanks with (other than Jesus) might be your idol. In other words (to borrow a phrase from the redneck jokes), "you just might be an idolater if..." And remember, idols can be good things. Good things, made into ultimate things, become bad things.
2. If only ________, then I would be happy.
3. I get my sense of significance from ________.
4. I would protect and preserve ________ at any cost.
5. I fear losing ________.
6. The thing that gives me greatest pleasure is ________.
7. When I lose ________, I get angry, resentful, frustrated, anxious, or depressed.
8. For me, life depends on ________.
9. The thing I value more than anything in the world is ________.
10. When I daydream, my mind goes to________.
11. The best thing I can think of is ________.
12. The thing that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning is ________.
A lot to think (and pray) about here!
Hat Tip: Jared at The Thinklings:
This is something I've felt for awhile, although the questions that come to my mind are more along the lines of:
ReplyDelete11) When I'm stressed, I just want ____________.
Good comment. I guess that makes chocolate into an idol for many of us!
ReplyDeleteDoes Jesus even want us to make some of those comments? Even if we put his name in all the blanks...what does that really mean?
ReplyDeleteJesus wants what from us?
The point of the questions for me is to help me identify any way I might violate the 1st commandment, by having any god ahead of the one true God. If I make anything or anyone else other than him my first or primary place to run for happiness, comfort or security, then I risk making it into an idol.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend the book by Dr. Tim Keller referenced in the post- available at most Christian bookstores or at places like Borders, Barnes & noble, etc. He makes all this perfectly clear. [And no, I don't get a commission for promoting it! ;) ]
thanks...not meaning to challenge you, but in a way, yeah, cause I get so tired of people who pay lip service to Jesus being the most important thing in their lives...when a cursory glance at their lives shows nothing of the sort.
ReplyDeleteIt can be easy to give a quick answer to those questions, living a life that exemplifies what matters to you is what matters...but self examination is a start.
I do wonder about the chief end of man to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever"
Ponder what it is to "enjoy" Him.