Some things Christians make a god out of that compete with Jesus Christ:

Some things Christians make a god out of that compete with Jesus Christ:

1) Service for God
     There are few things that are as close to God's heart as helping the dispossessed and oppressed.  Read your Old Testament.  It's spilling over with God's concern for their plight.  Jesus Himself was a poor man all His life.  The poor were His representatives, not His rivals.  But as important as caring for the poor is, Jesus Christ Himself is more important.  He is more valuable than any ministry no matter how good or noble.  It is possible to worship the god of "ministry" in place of Christ.  Some make "Christian service" a god that competes with Jesus Christ.  On that score, Henri Nouwen said that the main obstacle to love for God is service for God.

2) Theology
     Theology is another competitor.  It is possible to make theology a god, and love theology, more than we love God.

3) Worship
     Believe it or not it is possible to love the act of singing worship and praise songs to the Lord more than we love the Lord Himself.

4) Apologetics
     It is possible to love arguing on behalf of God more than loving God Himself.

5) Evangelizing for God

6) Preaching about God

7)Writing about God

8) Studying God
     It is possible to love studying and analyzing the Bible more than loving Jesus Himself.

All these things are good, of course.  But if they don't lead us to the real person of Christ, they can become idols.

Paul's great prayer in Ephesians is that God would grant us, "the spirit and wisdom of revelation in the knowledge of Him."

Expose yourself to such ministries that know how to preach Christ in such glory that you're awed by His greatness and you're drawn to worship Him.  Our alabaster boxes willingly yield at the sight of His peerless worth.

A friend of mine once said, "The moment He set me free is the moment He captured me."

- from God's Favorite Place on Earth by Frank Viola