But how do you know if God's jealous of something or not? For me it has always been like when I had something which I really liked then I feared that this could be an idol and I thought that the only way to really find out wether it is an idol is giving it up because otherwise I can't know if it's an idol or not.
Even if I had something I liked I couldn't really enjoy it but felt guilty and thought about wether it's an idol and tried to find out if God might be displeased with it. It's really stupid somehow when you fear that something could be an idol because how shall you find out about it? For example if a christian tells you that if you were willing to give it up for God then it's not an idol then this doesn't solve the issue because then you basically have to give it up. Let's say you like playing guitar and you practice it and then you fear what if it's an idol and then somebody tells you if you were willing to give it up then it's not an idol then going on with it would not make sense because why go on if one day you might have to give it up? Then I'd rather want to know it right away if I have to stop or not.
Okay, I think I'm starting to understand your concern in the light of Christ's teachings as contained in Matthew 10, especially verses 37-39:
"Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."
Jesus is specifically addressing his disciples in that passage, for he is about to send them out to spread the gospel. But the content is still applicable to anyone who would take up their cross and follow the Lord.
Our hypothetical guitar player might be displeasing God if he'd rather play his guitar than be taking up his cross and doing whatever that entails. How can we continue to love elements of this fleshly existence when we are told we must lose our lives to find it?
The way I understand this in my own mind is so subtle, I wonder if I can explain it. Why am I enjoying a comfortable life in a land where people aren't interested in hearing the gospel, while in deepest darkest Africa or impoverished North Korea, people are perishing in ignorance of salvation through Jesus?
If I am to love God and others, what am I doing wasting a single second on personal pleasures and hobbies? Even taking a minute to enjoy a cooling fan could be considered a grotesque act of self-indulgence.
Well, through my faith in Jesus, I believe God loves me. I'm not talking about cool love verging on indifference, but white hot passion and infatuation! I'm the apple of God's eye because I am cleaned by the blood of his precious son and been implanted into his very body.
I have a cat that I love a lot. Pretty much all she does is sleep all day and then whinge for food or attention. But that's okay, because my love for her is unconditional. I know it is unconditional because it has been tested to the limit.
Such love is but the murkiest reflection of the love that God has for me. I don't have to do anything and God still loves me. I can play my guitar all day long (if I had one) and God still loves me. There is nothing I can do to make God unlove me. He will leave the 99 to reclaim me if I go wandering away.
Because I bask in such love through faith, I understand I'm free to enjoy my life and live it to the full. All the apostles and people of faith who obeyed the great commission to spread the gospel, and all those who have died and suffered doing so; even the Lord's own death itself, was all done so that I could enjoy the blessedness of being in God's favour!
This is why I don't fret to enjoy a cool fan now and then, and why I'm not afraid to enjoy a hobby. This is why I don't suffer angst and guilt to be living in peace and security when some parts of the world are falling to pieces. If God allows much of the world to suffer trouble and strife, but has tucked me up into a safe little pocket, that's his business, not mine.
It is only upon enjoying God's unconditional love and freedom that a special kind of fruit begins to grow in one's heart. This fruit is love for God and others in return, and the seeking of ways in which to serve them. In this light service becomes an act of delight. An honour and a privilege, not done out of fear and guilt.
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