What's your idol?

This question has been on my heart lately. A lot of people nowadays think that idols are a thing of the past. Like the Egyptians bowing down to a golden calf or something. We think "well that's stupid! God is obviously not a calf! " But really we have many idols. An idol is anything that we value over God. I go through phases of what mine are. Lately it has been a house. I think that phase is waning now. We had to sign our lease for another year. So I'll probably start looking again next year. (Maybe we'll actually be able to move by then!) Many people value money, looks and intelligence. I know that I value my safety and my family very highly. I know that God has given me those as blessings. These things are all important in life, but we just have to know the placement of them within our lives.
This weekend at church, we had a different speaker than our regular pastor. His name was Efrem Smith. I really liked him. The topic was bridging our suburban lives/church with the city. He said this awesome thing, which I'm going to share with you. "God has blessed you more than you realize. He has blessed you to the point of overflowing so that we can be a blessing to others." Isn't that the coolest?! So with this blessing, we are to go out and use the talents and skills He has given us to help others. Instead of these talents taking time and importance over God, use it for Him! These things won't be an idol but a way to show glory. This can be in a myriad of ways. If your heart is pulled toward the mission field, then go! "Missions" doesn't always have to be across the world either- it can be just across town! If your heart is in music, research, children or the arts-use that talent for God. Sometimes you might not feel like every calling is what you would want. You have to listen to God and where and what He wants you to do. You have to be ready to let go of things that are in your safety zone (possibly those idols) to follow Him. Now just because I have written about this, doesn't mean that I have this all under control! I'm still growing, too!