Her name was Patricia and her testimony was riveting. My wife and I were enjoying a delightful walk down Main Street in Roadtown on the island of Tortola. As we rounded a bend on the narrow street we spied a Christian bookstore which we entered and began browsing. Almost immediately the lady in the store struck up a conversation with my wife. Patricia was a vibrant Christian whose love for Christ spilled over on her face and in her words. She shared how that four years ago she got the job in the bookstore and wasn’t even a Christian. However through the witness of a customer she started reading the Bible and attending a church. When she trusted Christ as her Savior she was faced with a dilemma. She had been a Hindu before her salvation and still had the family idols prominently displayed in her home. Her husband was still a Hindu and she did not want to upset him, yet those idols disturbed her greatly. Finally, after much prayer she received the courage to take the idols out of the house and throw them in a bucket.
Because of her new faith in Christ Patricia was impressed by the Spirit to remove the idols from her home. God’s Word challenges all of His children to remove the idols from our lives. 1 John 5:21 tells us: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols”. Idols do not have to be statues made out of metal, wood or stone. They can take the form of sinful habits or unholy relationships. We can make an idol out of our money, our cars, and even our hobby. Anything that demands the place, attention and allegiance that belongs only to God can become an idol. He alone is worthy of our love and worship.
As Patricia grew in her relationship with Christ she knew without anyone telling her that the idols had to go. She faced her fears and removed the idols from her home. Is there anything in our lives that seems to be taking on the image of an idol? Perhaps it’s time to remove them from our heart and throw them in the bucket.