For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold…sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves. –Isaiah 31:7, NKJV

As we’re training up the next generation to be Christ followers, a key life lesson is to teach them to cast down idols. One idol prevalent in our culture today is when people invent their own definition of who Jesus is.

Any time we base our definition of Jesus on anything other than what the Bible says, we are manufacturing an idol and worshipping it as surely as if it were made of silver or gold. For example, many people in our churches today, when faced with a hot button social, political, or cultural issue respond, “MY God would never do that” or “MY God isn’t like that.”

That’s idolatry.

That’s worshipping a God we define based on feelings, traditions, cultural trends, or people we love and care about.

So how do we cast down the idol or false image of God we’ve created to fit our own personal opinion? How do we replace this idol with the one TRUE God? How do we teach our children and grandchildren to make choices in life and follow the real Jesus, God in flesh?

The answer can be found in the Bible. The God of the Bible is the real God. He’s not a replacement or a being we create to fit our current situation or our heart’s feelings. A steady and continuous diet of reading the Bible, the whole Bible, will help us become better acquainted to the Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Merciful, Just, Good, Loving, Forgiving, Eternal, Righteous, Zealous, Lord of lords, and King of kings.

Confronted with social, political, and cultural issues, we can choose to ask, “What does the God of the Bible say about this?” Then turn to Scripture. Seek the Bible’s answer. Teach your children and grandchildren to do the same.

Choose to know the God of the Bible. Cast away the current definition of Jesus that you’ve been clinging to and arguing for if it’s anyone other than the Jesus of the Bible. Allow the Jesus of the Bible to sit on the throne as King in your heart.

After all, the Bible is the Word of God. And Jesus is the Word.

Nancy I. Sanders is a bestselling and award-winning children’s author of more than 100 books. CLICK HERE to visit her website.

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