The following questions are adapted from David Clarkson's sermon on idolatry.
What do you esteem most? That which we most highly value we make our God. For estimation is an act of soul worship.
What occupies your thoughts most?
That which we are most mindful of we make our God.
What are your most significant intentions?
That which we most intend we make our god; for to be most intended is an act of worship due only to the true God; for he being the chief good must be the last end.
What have you resolved to do most of all in your life?
What we are most resolved for we worship as God.
What do you love most?
That which we must love we worship as our God; for love is an act of soul-worship.
Who or what do you truly trust with your life?
That which we most trust we make our god; for confidence and dependence is an act of worship which the Lord calls for as due only to himself.
What do you fear most? That which we most fear we worship as our god; for fear is an act of worship.
Where are you hopes grounded? That which we make our hope we worship as God; for hope is an act of worship.
What is the deepest desire of your heart? That which we most desire we worship as our god;
What do you most delight in? That which we most delight and rejoice in, that we worship as God;
What are you most zealous for? That for which we are more zealous we worship as god;
What are you most grateful for? That to which we are most grateful, that we worship as God; for gratitude is an act of worship.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Some Additional Questions for Exploring Our Hearts
Some helpful questions from David Powlison:
What do you love? What do you Hate?
What do you want, desire, crave, lust and wish for? Whose desires do you obey?
What do you seek, aim for, pursue? What are your goals and expectations?
Where do you bank your hopes?
What do you fear? What do you not want? What do you tend to worry about?
Where do you find refuge, safety, comfort, escape, pleasure, security?
Whom must you please? Whose opinion of you counts? From whom do you desire approval
and fear rejection?
What do you love? What do you Hate?
What do you want, desire, crave, lust and wish for? Whose desires do you obey?
What do you seek, aim for, pursue? What are your goals and expectations?
Where do you bank your hopes?
What do you fear? What do you not want? What do you tend to worry about?
Where do you find refuge, safety, comfort, escape, pleasure, security?
Whom must you please? Whose opinion of you counts? From whom do you desire approval
and fear rejection?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Understanding and Examining our Idol Making Hearts
Do we know our own hearts or are we ignorant of them?
Kris Lundgaard, “Many people live in darkness and ignorance about their own hearts. They keep careful track of how their investments are doing on Wall Street and get frequent checkups at the doctor; they watch what they eat and work out at the gym three or four times a week to keep their bodies finely tuned. But how many people give the least thought to their souls? If it is important to watch over and care for our bodies and investments, which will soon die and rot, how much more important is it for us to guard our immortal souls?
David Powlison, "Has something or someone besides Jesus the Christ taken title to your heart’s trust, preoccupation, loyalty, service, fear and delight?"
Kris Lundgaard, “Many people live in darkness and ignorance about their own hearts. They keep careful track of how their investments are doing on Wall Street and get frequent checkups at the doctor; they watch what they eat and work out at the gym three or four times a week to keep their bodies finely tuned. But how many people give the least thought to their souls? If it is important to watch over and care for our bodies and investments, which will soon die and rot, how much more important is it for us to guard our immortal souls?
David Powlison, "Has something or someone besides Jesus the Christ taken title to your heart’s trust, preoccupation, loyalty, service, fear and delight?"
Our Idol Making Hearts
The next few posts will be related to the two week series that we are doing on idols.
Here are some quotes on the topic of idols that have been helpful to me.
Os Guiness, “Idolatry is the most discussed problem in the Bible and one of the most powerful spiritual and intellectual concepts in the believer’s arsenal. Yet for Christians today it is one of the least meaningful notions and is surrounded with ironies. Perhaps this is why many evangelicals are ignorant of the idols in their lives. Contemporary evangelicals are little better at recognizing and resisting idols than modern secular people are. There can be no believing communities without an unswerving eye to the detection and destruction of idols.”
Ken Sande “An idol is not simply a statue of wood, stone, or metal; it is anything we love and pursue in place of God, and can also be referred to as a ‘false god’ or a ‘functional god.’ In biblical terms, an idol is something other than God that we set our hearts on, that motivates us, that masters or rules us, or that we serve.”
Richard Keyes “ An idol is something within creation that is inflated to function as God. All sorts of things are potential idols, depending only on our attitudes and actions toward them...Idolatry may not involve explicit denials of God’s existence or character. It may well come in the form of an over-attachment to something that is, in itself, perfectly good...An idol can be a physical object, a property, a person, an activity, a role, an institution, a hope, an image, an idea, a pleasure, a hero - anything that can substitute for God.”
John Calvin, “The human heart is a factory of idols...Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols.”
Here are some quotes on the topic of idols that have been helpful to me.
Os Guiness, “Idolatry is the most discussed problem in the Bible and one of the most powerful spiritual and intellectual concepts in the believer’s arsenal. Yet for Christians today it is one of the least meaningful notions and is surrounded with ironies. Perhaps this is why many evangelicals are ignorant of the idols in their lives. Contemporary evangelicals are little better at recognizing and resisting idols than modern secular people are. There can be no believing communities without an unswerving eye to the detection and destruction of idols.”
Ken Sande “An idol is not simply a statue of wood, stone, or metal; it is anything we love and pursue in place of God, and can also be referred to as a ‘false god’ or a ‘functional god.’ In biblical terms, an idol is something other than God that we set our hearts on, that motivates us, that masters or rules us, or that we serve.”
Richard Keyes “ An idol is something within creation that is inflated to function as God. All sorts of things are potential idols, depending only on our attitudes and actions toward them...Idolatry may not involve explicit denials of God’s existence or character. It may well come in the form of an over-attachment to something that is, in itself, perfectly good...An idol can be a physical object, a property, a person, an activity, a role, an institution, a hope, an image, an idea, a pleasure, a hero - anything that can substitute for God.”
John Calvin, “The human heart is a factory of idols...Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols.”
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