Reconstruct Your Life: From Idols to Altars
Are you building idols, or are you building altars?
Regrettably, over the years, I've found myself building a few idols in my own life. One of them being work. Idols are built subtly and slowly, gradually taking over the place they were never intended to occupy. Just about anything can become an idol, even good, God-given things like our work, money, and food.
“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior. ” ― Martin Luther
Interestingly, idols and altars have a similar parallel; they are both built. An idol is something we construct to worship, while an altar is something we construct to offer worship. As followers of Jesus, our goal is to dismantle the idols in our lives and replace them with altars.
So how do we deconstruct idols and reconstruct altars? I believe the answer lies in Romans 12:1. Listen to Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”
The Apostle Paul instructs us to worship God or to build altars in every area of our lives, not just the seemingly "spiritual" areas. This is what a Rule of Life, or as I like to call it a Rhythms for Life, is all about. It's a framework for constructing altars unto God. Godly practices and rhythms replace the idols that have crept in over time.
We replace the idol of work and success with the altar of the Sabbath.
We replace the idol of food and gluttony with the altar of fasting.
We replace the idol of money and greed with the altar of generosity.
"If you uproot the idol and fail to plant the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back." ― Tullian Tchividjian
Having intentional rhythms in every area of your life is a way "to place your everyday, ordinary life before God as an offering". Rhythms are a way to replace our unintentional idols with intentional altars. So let me ask you again, are you building idols or are you building altars?
If you want to learn more about creating intentional Rhythms for Life, join me for an upcoming webinar. I believe in the importance of this so much, I've decided to make it free! Simply join the waitlist today and be the first to know all the details.
