Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

1 John 5:21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols. We read the last two days that Jesus is the true and eternal God and is our source of power in life. With that being said, John closed his letter with a warning. The Spirit of God calls them to be on guard against making any substitute gods or power sources. Are we on guard for idols in our lives? An idol is a false god—a person, object, or idea—that we treasure and serve more than the true God, our creator and sustainer. John Calvin wrote that the human heart is an “idol factory.” How often we search for love and satisfaction in what cannot satisfy. How often we seek to identity with someone or something in the world instead of with Christ. Consider why John may have warned about idols. First, there is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things (1 Cor. 8:6). To have another god is to scorn the only source of eternal life and love. Second, God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him, as John Piper has said. Finding satisfaction with anyone or anything more than Jesus is to commit spiritual adultery. Third, God’s purpose in everything is to reveal His Son in us. The moment we hook up with another god, we become antichrist. John had warned them of the antichrists that are in the world who were seeking to lead the unsuspecting, the unguarded astray. Nothing hinders the flow of love more than idolatry. It’s impossible to live to love with another god because an idol cannot be a source of the love of God. Instead it will be a source of the love of the world. The world’s kind of love masquerades as light and is not true life or love. With this warning, let us remember that the only way to live to love with Jesus is to look to Him as our sole source of life, love, truth, satisfaction, joy, peace, and hope. As we live and love with Jesus, let us guard ourselves from idols today and everyday. I invite you to visit our website, www.livetolovewithjesus.com to take advantage of free resources encouraging and equipping you to live to love with Jesus.