Idolatry be put to death

 9 Nov 25

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Life Application Study Bible Devotion

Idolatry be put to death

We should consider ourselves dead and unresponsive to sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed. Just like diseased limbs of a tree, these practices must be cut off before they destroy us. We must make a conscious, daily decision to remove anything that supports or feeds these desires and to rely on the Holy Spirit's power.

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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Reflections

Scripture here puts all the earthly desires as idolatry. Where sexual immorality, impurity, lust and evil desires are perhaps straightforward and easy to understand as idolatry, greed sometimes, I feel, is being overlooked.

What is greed to you? The Oxford dictionary’s definition goes like this “intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.” Where we can understand wealth & power as greed but what about food? As food is our basic need as well, where do we draw the line? Perhaps if we have enough to fill our stomach that is satisfying a need. Then how much, is enough?

If a person eats 3 meals a day and each meal is a plate of economy rice, is that greed? How about if the person eats 3 dishes and a soup for 3 meals is that greed? And what is norm to one may not be norm to others. Would that be considered as greed too? I think my personal line will be drawn at coveting other people’s food or wanting to eat more even when I’m already full, or stuffing myself at a buffet spread just to make sure I eat what was worth. Would be good to stop when we are about 80% full.

AI perhaps put it in a better sense. It is not the amount of food we eat lest it becomes gluttony but more of the attitude, desire and intention behind consumption and generally defined as eating excessively without control, indulgence, etc. 

I guess whatever it is, it is always good to self check to avoid idolatry in any forms.