Question:
Why do Christians worship three Gods? (Part I)
What is idolatry?

Answer:
One sad fact of this world is that there are many idolaters. Maybe we should make sure we know what God calls idolatry. Idolatry is when you worship anyone or anything other than God. Idolatry is also whenever you love or trust something more than God or in place of God. For example you are an idolater if you care about work or money more than God. If the opinion of your family means more to you than what God says, you are an idolater. Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment of God was. He answered, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:29-30)

Jesus was teaching us that it is not enough to just believe or know that God is one. To worship God as God we must love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. That means to pray as we should we need to pray with our whole mind. We cannot think of other things or nothing when we pray. We need to pray with our whole heart. We must love God completely. In life we must serve him with all our strength. Not just part of our ability or time or money but everything we have needs to be done for him. But we have failed to love God as we should! Remember that time when following God's command was so hard and difficult that we took the easy way out. We loved our own comfort at that moment more than God. Maybe we should have prayed but we were so tired we just went through the words without thought or skipped them altogether. At that moment we really loved ourselves more than God who gives us all good things. This is why the prophet David said, "God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 53:2-3) The prophet was telling us that we have all turned away because all of us have become idolaters at one time or another. In fact every time we do something wrong it is a denial of God!

When you choose to do something wrong, you are putting your will in front of God's and you are making yourself your own little god. This is why the prophet David again said, "Against you (God) only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight." (Psalm 51:4) When I get angry with my family and complain about them I am sinning against God. I am ignoring God who told me to love and respect my family. Instead I have put my own heart and my own emotions before God who is over all and forever praised. This is why according to the Word of God, Muslims and Christians and everyone on earth has committed idolatry. This is the first commandment in the 10 commandments that God gave us through the prophet Moses (Musa). We are guilty of breaking this commandment at sometime in our lives. And if you honestly look at your heart you will have to admit you have broken this basic command of God many times.

Some Questions to Think about:

• What is God's judgment on idolatry?
• Do I deserve God's judgment?
• Have I really loved him with all my heart and soul and mind?