On How It’s All About The Heart

Ch-ch-check it out.
Ezekiel 14:2+3
"Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?'"
When Ezekiel wrote that, God was talking about the elders who worshiped idols, and then dared to go to Ezekiel, God's profit, for advice. Obviously, God was not okay with this, and went on to tell Ezekiel that he would turn those people into examples for others not to idolize.

However, reading that passage, the word that seems to poke its head out above the rest is "heart".
He said idols, in their hearts.

When i think of the word "idol", i usually think of some creepy Mayan figurine or something, or them little statues that the Romans used to keep in their houses.
Other people think of Brad Pitt or some hottie like Stephen Hawking.

But that's not necessarily what God meant when he was talking to Ezekiel.
He meant -anything- that we invest our heart in that isn't Him.
So, the usual: money, jobs, celebrities, and ourselves... all can become idols.
That's not good.


In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment."[Mtt. 5:21, NIV]
The anger there that Jesus equates to murder is something that you harbor in your heart.
So is the Lust that he talks about in Mtt. 5:27...
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."


This is how religion turns into a bad thing:
People [take the religious leaders of Ezekiel's time, and Jesus' time, for example] follow religion because they have to, or because it's expected of them, or because they're all caught up in it. But as soon as it turns into empty motions (going to church every sunday, standing like a mummy for half an hour, falling asleep for another half hour, and then going home), you're better off not going to church at all.

This is one of the reasons that Martin Luther got himself excommunicated.
After reading the actual Bible, Luther decided that God doesn't care so much about your outward actions as he cares about your heart.
Granted, actions betray the heart (you can't go murder someone and then try to say it wasn't the will of your heart), but by the same token, you can't expect God to take a fake lifestyle as the real thing.

Learn from the religious leaders of Ezekiel's time. They screwed up 2,600 years ago so we don't have to.