They are cunning and clever; sometimes I thrust them over my head like trophies; other times I conceal them in my pocket like a weapon. Those who don't admit their ownership of them, are likely owned far too easily by them.
As for me, I have three that I covet in particular, and though they are accompanied by an army of others, these three are most valuable to me and as a result, probably the most dangerous. One looks like a lantern whose flame is ever burning and I am fooled to think that it provides light in darkness, when its only, actual purpose is to consume fuel, and when aggravated enough, it tips over and catches fire everything around it. The second one is an ordinary wooden block; plain in it's appearance, and would easily fit in one's hand. If it was displayed on a mantle, no one would notice it as they entered the room. But the trouble with this one is that, it starts off in the background, unassuming; but as I pass it by, it daily grows larger and draws me to itself irresistibly like a Siren, and it eventually fills the room so fully that everything else must be removed. The third, and last one, is perhaps the most powerful. Oddly enough, this one is the smallest of the three, yet it is arrogantly ordained with haughty carvings and ornaments that are gilt with gold; but its shape shifts as it imitates what it considers to be the most beautiful object in the room, so it deceives its admirer into believing that it is something that it is not. It draws the attention of everyone who enters its room, and likes to tip over the lantern when ignored.
Idols are things by, through, and with which we presumptuous creatures attempt to take the creation and maintenance of our joy into our own hands. We often do not trust God, the Giver of All, and Promise Keeper, to provide us with sufficient joy, or we mistake the fleeting happiness of this world for the joy that is only found in God, by grace, through faith in His gospel.
As for me, I have three that I covet in particular, and though they are accompanied by an army of others, these three are most valuable to me and as a result, probably the most dangerous. One looks like a lantern whose flame is ever burning and I am fooled to think that it provides light in darkness, when its only, actual purpose is to consume fuel, and when aggravated enough, it tips over and catches fire everything around it. The second one is an ordinary wooden block; plain in it's appearance, and would easily fit in one's hand. If it was displayed on a mantle, no one would notice it as they entered the room. But the trouble with this one is that, it starts off in the background, unassuming; but as I pass it by, it daily grows larger and draws me to itself irresistibly like a Siren, and it eventually fills the room so fully that everything else must be removed. The third, and last one, is perhaps the most powerful. Oddly enough, this one is the smallest of the three, yet it is arrogantly ordained with haughty carvings and ornaments that are gilt with gold; but its shape shifts as it imitates what it considers to be the most beautiful object in the room, so it deceives its admirer into believing that it is something that it is not. It draws the attention of everyone who enters its room, and likes to tip over the lantern when ignored.
Idols are things by, through, and with which we presumptuous creatures attempt to take the creation and maintenance of our joy into our own hands. We often do not trust God, the Giver of All, and Promise Keeper, to provide us with sufficient joy, or we mistake the fleeting happiness of this world for the joy that is only found in God, by grace, through faith in His gospel.
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