What do you think of when I say the word “idol?”
I know for most of you the first the to pop into your head was this.
Some of you may have envisioned this…
Did any of you think of the word covetousness? Neither had I until this week. Read with me,
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:5(emphasis mine)
I know, in the NKJV some of these words are rather antiquated so let’s see what they really mean.
covet – to desire ardently (especially something that another person has), crave, long for
covetous – tending to covet, greedy
idolatry – worship of idols, excessive devotion to or reverence for some person or thing.*
It was like someone switched a light on inside my brain! When we crave or long for something that isn’t ours, we are worshiping that thing in the same way as an idol. Never before had I thought of coveting being equal to idolatry. When idolatry is mentioned in modern-day America, we are always given the common modern day “idols,” money, TV, cars, computer, etc. But Colossians 3:5 clearly shows that idolatry can be a thought, idea, concept…not necessarily something physical – that we can touch.
How shocking to my soul to see that I am an idolater when I allow my heart and mind to dwell on what others have, that I haven’t, whether it be a lifestyle, health, children! Here in Colossians, Paul is showing us one more way that the Lord is looking on our hearts and our minds.
*All definitions came from Webster’s New World Dictionary Copyright 1964