Category Archives: Poem devotionals

DEUTERONOMY 4 FORBIDDEN TO MAKE IDOLS

Posted on by

October 15

DEUTERONOMY 4

15 “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day. 21 Furthermore, the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I should not cross the Jordan, and that I should not enter the good land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. 22 For I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan. But you shall go over and take possession of that good land. 23 Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. – Deuteronomy 4:15-24

DEUTERONOMY 4 FORBIDDEN TO MAKE IDOLS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Because God is Spirit, he didn’t present an image of himself

He didn’t want for any of us to make one for ourselves

All his covenant people were forbidden to carve images

No creature that God created should surpass his greatness

The Lord God is a jealous God and a consuming fire

If you turn against him and make an idol, you’ll have to face his wrath

He cannot condone any form of idols that will compete with him

It is a sin to replace the Almighty, the Creator of the earth and the heavens.

Why do you think God forbade humans to carve images? In this account, he explains the reason why it is prohibited for his people to make idols.  He is Spirit and he didn’t present himself to his people in a physical form. I think that it is a good reminder for us humans that we are not just physical but spiritual, mental and emotional beings. Many of us are not even aware of our spirits. We study how our mind works through psychology and try to understand our behaviors based on our experiences and thoughts. Even at times, some Christians fail to worship God in Spirit and in truth and we become religious and we practice and follow church traditions and rituals which can miss out the true way of worshipping God. We read the bible and fail to follow it so we don’t get transformed by the truth. It is very clear that the command not to make idols is a clear protection and boundary for all those who belong to him.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think God forbade the carving of images?

EPHESIANS 5 COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY

Posted on by

October 14

EPHESIANS 5

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”– Ephesians 5:1-14

EPHESIANS 5 COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When we obsess about something we desire so much

It can be a hindrance against prioritizing God first

We can be consumed by such obsessions for those wants

Then we end up addicted to it and it enslaves us

Because of the pleasure it gives, we bow down to it

It changes the trajectory of our worship from God to them.

In this account we hear from Paul about the concept of “walking in love.” When we hear this phrase, a lot of us don’t truly know what it means, so we have difficulties applying it in our lives. We just throw out the phrase, but have no idea how challenging it is to live a “love-focused” life for Christ in a very corrupted world system with a sinful nature bent that we got from our first parents. The world gives us a different meaning to “love” which is self-focused and very different from the true love that God has given us. The Apostle Paul explains that to walk in love is to keep ourselves pure from the corruption around us. As Christians, we cannot participate in anything that displeases God which includes engaging in unfruitful works of darkness. He mentions sexual immorality as one of the most impure ways we can engage in the ways of the world. Paul also exposes covetousness is idolatry in this account. When I read this verse, it took me a while to make sense of it and when I looked at the meaning of covetousness in the bible, it means an intense obsessive craving for possessions, status or money. So, it does make sense that these strong desires and wants become idols for those who chase such objects to replace God.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think covetousness and idolatry are the themes of the law of the Lord?

DEUTERONOMY 7 IDOLS ARE DEVOTED TO DESTRUCTION

Posted on by

October 13

DEUTERONOMY 7

17 “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ 18 you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, 19 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. 21 You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. 23 But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. 24 And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. 25 The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. 26 And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destructionlike it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction. – Deuteronomy 7:17-26

DEUTERONOMY 7 IDOLS ARE DEVOTED TO DESTRUCTION

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord God made you to bring him praise

He created all things in heaven and on earth

Sin made you believe that you can be equal with God

It twisted the gifts you received and turned it to idols

The idol’s purpose is to deny the presence of the Lord

It wants to replace the ranking of God in your life

Idols are devoted to destroying your whole being

It makes you fruitless, lifeless and focused on doing

In this account, we hear God reassuring his people not to be afraid of the enemies and nations that have conquered them. He reminds them of the things he has delivered them from such as their exodus from the Egyptians and the fate of Pharaoh who competed with God’s power and prohibited the Israelites to worship their God. In verse 20, God clearly told his people that hornets will be sent to destroy the enemies and they were reassured that they need not fear since God is in their midst. He also declares his character in this verse when he said that he is a great and awesome God. In verse 23, God reveals the plan of destruction for these idolatrous people. They will be destroyed in great confusion. Isn’t this a very interesting way to demolish an enemy? To confuse them. The devil is the god of confusion and what an irony that God uses this tool of the devil (to confuse) as an actual weapon against them and defeat them with the very thing they use to attack God’s people. Their idolatry led them to ruin.

REFLECTION

  • Give insight as to how idols can lead man to destruction or ruin.

HABAKKUK 2 WHAT PROFIT IS AN IDOL?

Posted on by

October 12

HABAKKUK 2

“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, 

   a metal image, a teacher of lies?
   For its maker trusts in his own creation

   when he makes speechless idols!
19 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;

   to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach?

   Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

   and there is no breath at all in it.

20 But the Lord is in his holy temple;
   let all the earth keep silence before him.” – Habakkuk 2:18-20

HABAKKUK 2 WHAT PROFIT IS AN IDOL?

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Why do we create something with our own hands?

Is it beneficial for another’s use or to please ourselves?

Do we make an object to use to serve another person?

Or do we praise ourselves at how good we created it?

What is the profit of an idol that we humans make?

Is it for the good of others or for our own sake?

Does the idol lead us to a life of gladness?

Or does it keep us going in circles and sadness?

Is an idol a way that will keep us connected?

Or does the idol hinder us and keep us isolated?

In this account, the Lord answers the prophet Habakkuk’s complaint about the Babylonians cruelty and injustices to God’s people and the Lord gave five woes against sins that the Chaldeans and Babylonians committed. Enduring.com enumerates these following warnings. The first woe mentioned in this chapter in verses 6-8 is against plundering and amassing wealth. The second woe in verses 9-11 is greed and building an empire through violence. The third woe in verses 12-14 is against exploiting others for brutal power. The fourth woe in verses 15-17 is against forcing neighbors into shameful intoxication and debauchery. The fifth woe in verses 18-20 is against trusting lifeless carved idols instead of trusting God.

Since my theme for this month is on idolatry, I will focus on the last warning against trusting idols. I love how the Lord’s response was very gentle and asked questions instead of a condemning tone. The Lord presented it in such a way that his people will reflect on the value or profit of the idols that they will make and bow down to. We witness God’s loving kindness at warning us to stop and think what benefit do we get in making and bowing down to these lifeless, speechless and blind created objects.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think we make idols or praise these things instead of giving the praise to God?

ISAIAH 2 SINS OF PRIDE & IDOLATRY

Posted on by

October 11

ISAIAH 2

6 For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob,
  because they are full of things from the east
  and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines,
  and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures;
  their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands,
  o what their own fingers have made.9 So man is humbled,
  and each one is brought low—do not forgive them!
10 Enter into the rock and hide in the dust
   from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty.
11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
    and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
    and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. – Isaiah 2:6-11

ISAIAH 2 SINS OF PRIDE & IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Anything that replaces the place of God in your heart

If you give more value to wealth and reputation

It will draw your worship away from your Creator

If you are consumed with the creation of your hands

It will make you proud and forget to praise the Lord

Remember that God hates the haughty and the proud

But he gives grace to the humble and the meek.

What sins provoke the anger and wrath of the Lord God?

In this account, the prophet Isaiah spells out the sins of pride and idolatry that deserves the wrath of the Lord. Verse 6 mentions fortune-telling, and being yoked with unbelievers. Verse 7 spells out idolatry of wealth and riches and a life of indulgence and hoarding valuable possessions. Verse 8 targets the idolatry of craftsmanship. They begin to adore what they have made with their own hands. They displayed all their works and began to bow down to it.  In verse 11 the prophet warns them of the idol of pride. The case against these unfaithful people in the time of Isaiah is no different from our time today.  These are all the sins that many of us easily fall from. In our world today, there is an explosion of information and guesswork about many various things such as predictions and interpretation of things that have not yet come, which is a form of divination and trying to presume they can foresee things on their own. Wealth and riches are prevalent in the world as it also generates status symbols that become the gateway to power. Reputation idols promote love for their own creation and achievements.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think God addressed these sins of idolatry through the prophet Isaiah?

JEREMIAH 11 GOD’S DECREE OF DISASTER OVER IDOLATRY

Posted on by

October 10

JEREMIAH 11

9 Again the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. 13 For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.14 “Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. 15 What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.” – Jeremiah 11:9-17

JEREMIAH 11 GOD’S DECREE OF DISASTER OVER IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you claim to be a believer, you are under oath in a pledge

God made a covenant with his people to be their God

If you decide to turn your back on the Lord, you’re breaking that vow

Conspiring with other men and believing in other gods is witchcraft

It is a sin of rebellion and you will bring on God’s wrath upon you

You’ll receive a decree of disaster if you praise other idols.

In this account, the Lord converses with his prophet Jeremiah about what his people have done against him. They have conspired with one another to turn their backs on God and worship other gods. They became adulterous even though they know that God is a jealous God and do not condone idolatry. They have purposely broken their covenant promise to God that he will be the only God that they will worship. Instead, they went after Baal and other pagan gods.

So, the Lord declares the verdict he made against their unfaithfulness. In verse 11-12, he tells Jeremiah what he is about to do to his adulterous people. He cautions the prophet to tell them that if they cry out to him, he will not listen to them. He further tells Jeremiah about the aftermath of the increase of the various gods that they have worshipped and as a result, he will leave them to go and ask such gods to save them from the disaster that they are about to experience. He forbade the prophet Jeremiah from praying for such adulterous people.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think God was just to prohibit Jeremiah from praying for idolatrous people?

LEVITICUS 19 DON’T TURN TO IDOLS

Posted on by

October 4

LEVITICUS 19

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.5 “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is tainted; it will not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.  – Leviticus 19:1-8

LEVITICUS 19 DON’T TURN TO IDOLS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God made a covenant with his own people

They were not to worship or turn to idols

They are also to honor the day of rest

If they turn to idols, they’ll be removed from the flock

To turn to an idol is defiance and an insult to God

You become an outcast if you give your loyalty to other gods.

Why do you think God specifically commands his people not to turn to idols? The word “turn” according to Merriam Webster dictionary is both a verb and a noun with its core meaning related to rotation, changing direction, transformation and sequential order. So, you can probably understand that the command of God to his people is about prohibiting them from changing their worship from Him to another god. In other words, God requires faithfulness from his own people. In verse 2, God specifically requires from them “holiness” because he is holy. They were forbidden to stray away from him because God didn’t want them to perish from the worship of anything other than him.

Why does God forbid his people from turning to idols that do not speak or hear or see? Psalm 115:8 and Psalm 135:18 say the same thing: “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” Imagine making something out of an object and making them your own god. Do you remember the story of King Nebuchadnezzar? In Daniel 3:1, the king made for himself a golden image of about 60 cubits which is equivalent to 9 feet high and 3 cubits wide. Everyone was commanded to bow down to the golden image whenever they heard music and if anyone didn’t bow down, they would be burned to death. In Daniel chapter 4 we are witnesses to the account of the idol he made. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. This was the consequence of his idol making and commanding his kingdom to bow down to it. He became an animal and deprived of humanity. This is what happens to us if we turn our backs on God and worship idols. We are stripped of God’s image.

REFLECTION

  • What are some manifestations and results of idolatry that you have witnessed in your life?

ISAIAH 44 THE FOLLY OF IDOLS

Posted on by

October 3

ISAIAH 44

9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”  – Isaiah 44:9-11,18-20

ISAIAH 44 THE FOLLY OF IDOLS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Those who believe in God will not create idols for themselves

They know that there are no other gods that are better than him

The Lord God Almighty is the only Creator of all things on earth

He is the only God who made humans in his own likeness

He is the alpha and the omega and only in him is eternity

No other gods can give life or can give love unconditionally

It is folly to create idols that will compare to who God is

Those who decide to make them become blind and deceived.

In this account, the prophet Isaiah builds a case against those who fashion or create idols. In verse 9 he seems to mock the ability of such idol makers to truly see the harm that they are doing to themselves when he said “they neither see nor know that they will be put to shame.” In other words, they become blind to foresee the aftermath of creating these gods made of materials that they think will profit them. In verse 11, it talks about craftsmen who are only human. In other words, these created things will not even stand up against a God who made everything out of nothing and only with his breath and word. Artists, craftsmen, designers and builders take days, months, years or decades of work before they make their masterpieces. God created all things within 6 days just by saying “let there be…” Who can compete with that? I used to be a painter and photographer. Most visual artists try their best to capture images, thoughts or feelings which come from their own minds and senses. Then someone else loves their work and buys them. I have that feeling of pride and accomplishment that someone appreciates what I’ve done. After 400 paintings I sold in two-decades of work, I forgot that God only used such an emotional outlet for the traumas I’ve gone through as a beginning of my healing journey. Then I began to take pride in the fact that even if I was still alive, I was able to sell those paintings. It then got to my head and thought it was what I was made for. God showed me I can’t hold on to such idolatry or I’ll be destroyed.

REFLECTION

·       Share some instances when the folly of idolatry you witnessed made Isaiah’s point here.

JONAH 2 IDOLATRY LEADS TO LOSS OF HOPE

Posted on by

October 2

JONAH 2

4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’
5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head.6 To the roots of the mountains I went down,

to the land whose bars closed upon me forever. Yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

                                                                                      – Jonah 2:4-9

JONAH 2 IDOLATRY LEADS TO LOSS OF HOPE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When God created you, it was for his own glory

He was exalting himself when he made you in his image

Having the same make as God is the reason for your being

Without acknowledging him, you are likely to make an idol

When you bow down to something other than the Lord

You will be defeated and will lose hope of his steadfast love

When man sinned, he twisted the image that God made in humans

Mankind now craves to know more about what he can never fathom.

The story of Jonah is well known even amongst children. But many people remember only the story of Jonah being inside the belly of a whale. This Old Testament account is a premonition of the resurrection of Jesus in three days. Jonah was in the whale’s belly for three days too. It is also an account of disobedience of this prophet who was asked to go to Nineveh to pronounce repentance to its people. Instead of following his calling, he turned to the opposite direction because he was saving himself from giving a wrong prophecy in case God changed his mind to destroy that sinful city. This story is more about idolatry and pride. One cannot be idolatrous if one is humble. Idolatry is a result of pride. Pride focuses on what you think you have accomplished or possess. It is a form of thinking highly of oneself. As one thinks that way, the person will convince himself that they are better than others or have illusions that they are someone bigger than who they really are. It focuses on the abilities or gifts but not the source of those gifts that they have received. So, he has actually created an idol of himself, competing with God.

In this account, Jonah was spitted out of the whale’s belly and learned his lesson on his pride and idolatry. He wanted to save himself from being judged as a false prophet if God changed his mind when the Ninevites repent. God gave Jonah three days to let him experience the loss of hope of God’s steadfast love when he continued to exercise arrogance, pride and idolatry.

REFLECTION

  • Cite some insights as to how idolatry can make one lose sight of God’s steadfast love.

COLOSSIANS 3 PUT OFF IDOLATRY & PUT ON CHRIST

Posted on by

October 1

COLOSSIANS 3

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old selfwith its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. – Colossians 3:5-11

COLOSSIANS 3 PUT OFF IDOLATRY & PUT ON CHRIST

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As we are elected by God to be his people

We ought to give up all kinds of idols

No longer should we engage in impurities

Including practices of sexual immoralities

Let us let go of foul talk and all forms of greed

Instead, let us speak only what edifies others

Put off all forms of idolatry and put on Christ

Let us step away from our old life & into our new life.

What is an idol? If you ask these to younger people, they’d answer you with someone they look up to or “idolize”. They’d likely mention a popular singer or band or actor that they love to become or is fond of. These idols usually represent power, wealth, prestige, status, great skill or gift. Interestingly, most of the laws of the Lord are themed on not engaging in idols. It is also of great interest why these idols are named small letter gods in comparison to the capital letter God. In other words, they are counterfeits. They symbolize power in a different form. They are not the same divine power and sovereignty that God possesses because they are created by humans themselves and not by the One true God. In the Old Testament, we have heard of idols made out of gold or wood or any other kinds of stones which people put on a hill so that they could be seen and bowed down to. They also have household idols that they bring with them and keep them in their homes so they can worship them. An idol according to the bible is anything that counterfeits God and steals the praise and worship that is only due him. So, anything that would replace God’s hierarchy in your life could be an idol.

In this account, Paul writes to the Colossian church about another form of idolatry not mentioned in the Old Testament. He listed them here as sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth and lies. They are not visually carved in an image, but they are imprinted in the hearts of those who do not believe in God. Paul challenges the believers to let go of all these idols that we all used to have before we became a follower of Christ. A true Christian would let go of these idols. Instead, they’ll put on Christ.

REFLECTION

·       What does it mean to give up idolatry and to put on Christ?