Counterfeit Gods: Love is Not all You Need (Chapter 2)

Okay, I'll admit it. It feels a bit silly to write a blog about a chapter in a book that we can all go read. (I'll also admit that it feels silly to use the word silly when you're writing to a group of adults, but I'll blame that on young children in my household...and I'll blame it on my wife because she's kind of silly). So, I'm not going to completely recap Sunday's lesson or the chapter, but hopefully will recap the general concept we studied. In essence, we learned that love can be, and probably is, one of the subtle idols in our lives that pull us away from a God-oriented life.

Sweet Home Alabama; Love, Actually; The Princess Bride; The Bachelor...just to name a few...are movies or tv shows that epitomize Western society's view of love. And that's the romantic, feel good side; but our society also speaks heavily to a sensual love, sexual gratification and physical satisfaction.

To sum up the way we tend to view love in our culture, we have to go to Mike's comment in class, "Show me the money!!!" Wait, no. That was another Jerry McGuire quote. What was it again? Oh yeah, "You complete me" was potentially the most cried to phrase of 1997. The comment was so sweet, so romantic and such a beautiful picture of love. Oh right, it was also delivered by Tom Cruise - quite possibly the male version of Rachel. And, as you recall from this week's lesson, Keller takes us through Genesis 29 and Jacob's idolatry of Rachel. He is seeking to fill an emptiness in his life through her. We too view love as a way to fill our emptiness, as something to make us happy, as something to complete us.

Now, before we go too far down the path of lambasting the idol of love, we must be perfectly clear. Love and marriage are awesome. God gave us these as gifts to learn to love him, and to learn how he loves us. Remember in the book The Sacred Marriage what we learned about love:

1. We love and are loved sacrificially


2. We are servants as God serves us


3. We forgive and are forgiven unconditionally


4. We show grace and we are shown grace


5. We show affection and are shown affection.

The list goes on, but you get the point. Love your marriage, but, at the same time, try to remember where to put your hope.

What do you see in this picture?

That's right..."gazing in the same direction." (Now, for the sake of argument, assume the dogs are gazing at God). If we start looking to our spouse, to a romantic feeling for someone else, to love for our children, or to physical satisfaction to fulfill our needs; then we stop gazing at our Creator who made us to glorify him and to enjoy him forever. That's when we know that love has become an idol. Frankly, it's probably an idol that is more prevalent than we are willing to admit.

Are we burdening our spouse with what only the Lord can fulfill? Are we pushing our Lord and Creator out of the center of our lives because love has become an idol?

If so, what do we do? Keller suggests we reorient our lives toward God. Please post comments for ways to do so. A few that we offered during class were:

• Ease the burden / frustration that we direct toward our spouse
• Pray
• Stay prepared because if you think you've kicked the idol, it's likely to come kicking back (I'm paraphrasing)
• Remind yourself to be content in what God has given you
• Use the issues in your marriage, big and small, as a gentle reminder to turn to the Lord for your fulfillment
• Commit to your devotion time - regardless, of whether you feel down, guilty, or like your not absorbing it.

What else can we do to reorient our lives toward God?