Let Nothing Take His Place
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. I John 5:21 (KJV)
This short verse contains a lot. Let’s unpack it and what it means to us today.
The word keep is phulasso in the Greek, and it means protect and guard yourself, watch, to guard against people or things, to keep in safety, preserve, be aware, pay attention, take heed. It suggests watchful care. We must do this as a lifelong practice and be on guard until the very end.
Idol is the Greek word eidolon and is defined as an image for worship, that which is seen, an idea or concept of the mind. It represents something, but not the true God. It is the representation of a false god. An idolator is one who worships an idol.
This verse is telling us to guard our hearts, minds, and lives, from anything that would try to draw our hearts to something other than God. Our thoughts are to be centered on God as we live out our lives.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; Exodus 20:3-5 (KJV)
The first of the Ten Commandments tells us to have no other Gods but the one true God. The second one is to make no graven images or bow down to them in worship.
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. I John 5:21 (New Living Translation, NLT)
This is a good translation of the verse, as it tells us to stay away from anything that could take God’s place. Let’s look at it in the Amplified Bible Classic Edition.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)—[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be). I John 5;21 (Amplified Bible Classic edition, AMPC)
This is an excellent rendering of this verse. Nothing but God should occupy first place in our lives. Nothing and no one can substitute for Him. Stay away from anything that would try to steal the place in your heart that rightfully belongs to God. Don’t allow anything to replace God in your heart. He should have first place in our hearts and lives at all times.
As we stay in God’s Word and act on it, we will keep our eyes on the Lord. When we seek to serve and worship and bow down to God alone, He will stay first place in our lives. Our only king is King Jesus, and He is our Lord. Leave no room for false gods, but keep God first place always.
