An idol is an object of worship. An object of our attention, affection, devotion, that we make paramount in our lives. Is it possible to make an idol out of ‘good things’ in the Christian life? Absolutely… How about social justice? Influence? Theology? I believe so.

First, we have to realize what should be paramount. For the Christian, following Christ is paramount. Jesus Christ is worthy of all of our worship.

Here’s the tricky part. In following Christ, we must interact with social justice. We must interact with the idea of influencing those around us. We must interact with theology. The Christian who does not is not following Christ as He should.

But, do we accent different aspects of following Christ or even different aspects of the person of Christ so much so that we neglect the whole counsel of God? Could I be so inundated with the idea of influencing those around me towards Christ that I neglect to follow Christ as I should? I think so… I could be in danger of forgetting my first love like the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3). A scary thought…

So, what does it look like to ‘keep’ my first love? This is one of many reasons why it is so essential to be Bible saturated. What does the Bible (the whole Bible) teach about who God is? What does the Bible teach about following Christ and what that looks like in my life? If I don’t let the whole of Scripture dictate my views and values in this area, then I will naturally gravitate toward specific aspects of following Christ and neglect others. And what I naturally gravitate towards could be very good, Biblical practices and disciplines. However, they will not capture the full picture of what it looks like to follow Him.

I desire to be passionate about what God is passionate about, to be a man after His own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). To do this, I have to know His heart – all of it. What stirs the heart of God (and how will I know apart from Scripture)? What does it look like to follow Jesus Christ wholeheartedly, making that one ambition paramount in our lives? God help us to be men and women who don’t settle for lesser pursuits.