God created us all with different likes, talents, desires on purpose to make the world work. If everyone was interested in space exploration, we wouldn’t get things done on the earth. If we didn’t have musicians, our world would be void of that beautiful art. God gave people interests in different hobbies, activities, collections for enjoyment in what we do in our free time. We need to keep these type of things in balance. It is hard to admit when something has become an obsession or fixation in your life.
An idol is something that you would put up to worship or give time to or pour your life into. It would not be a good thing to pour yourself into. God was very specific when he said have no idols. He didn’t make it a suggestion, He made it a commandment. God knows when He looks at our hearts if we love something more than Him. when your love for something is greater than your love for Him and then it becomes an idol of sin.
What am I investing in, where will this lead me? Listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart. It is good to re-evaluate, re-organize, and re-examine the things that you do.
Here is a check list of questions to ask yourself:
- How much money do you spend on the things you are doing in your free time? Robin shares her story about her love for tulips and the tulip collection she had. At one point she put all her items in one room and calculated how much money she had invested this tulips collection.
- How much time is spent doing an activity? How are you spending your time and how should you be spending your time? Are you using it as an escape to get away from your family? What is your motive for doing it?
- How much time do you spend thinking about something or some activity? When someone is pouring into something, they are pouring their lives into it. Jesus poured Himself out on the cross. That means He emptied Himself for the purpose of saving the world. What are you emptying yourself out for?
- Does it have a hold on you? Do you feel bound to it? Is there a pull on you now that it didn’t have at first? You may become enslaved to it. It might not seem possible because the thing you are doing is not a sin. You started as a fan but now you might be a fanatic and it has captured your heart.
Your life shouldn’t be about pleasing yourself, or what your job is, or what relationships you have, but about using all your were created to be for God. Find others with your common interest and let it help lead you into a conversations with people who might be open to hearing about Jesus. Use it as an evangelist tool to shine the light of Jesus in your area of interest and influence.
Write out your spiritual goals and objectives and what the Lord wants to do in your life with how He has created you to be. If you think an interest is just an interest then you have the wrong perspective. The interest has been given to you by God. God wants you to have fun with your interest. Some people think that if you put Jesus in the interest then it wouldn’t be fun but it can be more fun and fulfilling. You were created with a purpose. God is the grand designer of the world and you are a part of it.
