Blog

Aug 10, 2026 06:00am

Worthless Idols, Living God

28 Views

My grandmother collects a variety of things. From dishes to bells, to porcelain dolls to teapots, she has a little bit of everything. One collection she really enjoys is her glass birds.

She has an assortment of them placed around, but inside her bedroom, on the window sill, you’ll find a beautiful array of colorful birds.

She loves to look at them and watch the light cascade through them. She can pretend they are singing, coming to visit her for the day, enjoying sitting in the sunlight, but the truth is, they aren’t real.

No matter how much we want to pretend or wish that they were real, they just aren’t. They are a man-made object. There is no life within them.

Let’s think back to our study in Thessalonians. Paul wrote the letter to encourage the believers in Thessalonica, a place that was full of false religions.

Many of the people worshipped idols. These were man-made objects that vendors promised would bring them luck, prosperity, fertility, and protection. They were symbols of the gods they worshipped, and the people worshipped these little idols too.

But as much as they wanted to believe they were real or that they could deliver on what was promised, they couldn’t. They were man-made idols. There was no life in them.

And once they heard the truth about the One living and true God, they turned from worshipping these idols.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

“…and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

Paul’s message was a reminder of the faith they had in the one, true God. He was alive! He wasn’t man-made. He wasn’t something they just wished would protect and provide. He was real! Our God is alive! And, Paul went on to reassure them that as surely as Jesus rose from the dead, He will come again. And when He does, it’s to judge sin.

Only He can save us from the judgment that’s coming to this sinful world. Those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will be saved from the wrath that’s coming.

The Thessalonians were commended for their belief in Christ and turning from worthless idols… will we?

An idol doesn’t have to be some little wooden or glass statue of a false god. It can be anything we are trusting in other than God.

Our career, pride, good works, church attendance, or self. If we’re trusting in any of this to save us and not a relationship with Jesus, we might as well trust in a little glass bird. Without Jesus, we have nothing.

John 5:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

What are you trusting in today? Are you sure it’s able to deliver on its promises? Only Jesus can save us from the Father’s wrath on sin.