I would like to start this post out with a quote from our LORD and Savior.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. - John 13:35
We have a great commission from our LORD. When we let our ego get in the way our love seems to vanish. It is impossible to have love without humility. Even to confess our sins to the LORD is impossible without love and humility.
Idol Worship
This may seem kind of silly to some today, however, maybe you do not understand what an idol is. Let's talk about why this was a commandment and why Christians too in the Didichet was commanded to abstain from idols. Remember that idols are "things" that are not capable of Love. The great deception is that "things" can bring you love & happiness but this is impossible. If you really want love you need to get it from a real living being that has love in their heart.
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; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:4-6
What Idols Have To Do With Humility
Idols erode your humility and love. Think of it, the idol today is money. Yes money! Everyone seems to love money. The argument is that money will bring you happiness because of it you can buy "things". One thing it will never buy you is a relationship with God. However, the love of money can damage your relationship with God for sure! Once a person's relationship with money is more important than their relationship with God, their humility erodes, their love dies.
Why is This Important
Once you have been possessed by the love of "things", then it is difficult to identify true love. A person who loves "things" is not a humble person, therefore they are not teachable. They are therefore then, an idol worshiper. Your god is who you serve.
Early Christians
The early Christians were mostly Jew's. Why is this important? Because this long history that we read about the Jew's all pointed to the Messiah, our LORD and Savior. God chose the seed of Abraham to show the world how He would save it. Therefore, all the Apostles were Jew's that were well aware of this fact. This is important because they knew the Law. The LORD put them in charge when He left the earth and sent His Spirit to them.
Familiar With God's Commandments
Additionally, they were very familiar with God's commandments. Idol worship, The Sabbath and more! You may think that these laws were silly however, they were very important. Everything that you read about them was written for us so we can understand the Love of God. God was not playing favorites with mankind, He was writing a story, a prophecy about how He would save mankind. Everything you read in the old testament points to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This is why it is a testament, a testimony to the LORD Jesus Christ.
The Way God Works
Please understand that the way God works is not the way man works. It is totally different. He takes the most insignificant thing to a man, then He exercises His power through it. Think of the Jew's. All through history, it is amazing that Jew's even exist today. Only when they were humble and obeyed the LORD's commands did they do well. All of their errors and mistakes are recorded for is. No other people in history recorded all their mistakes and mishaps like the Jew's did. We are always told that the winners write history and this is true to a certain extent. However, think of it. While all the other empires were writing how great they were, we have a record of Israel and it is mostly bad and how they failed. We read how God used other empires to discipline them, plunder and destroy them. However, they still exist today. Why? Because this is how He works.
Heart Of Man
Know this, He searches the hearts of man. No matter where they are or how old or young they are. He knows what they are made of because of course, He made them. It's no secret that the LORD looks for humble people with love in their hearts. He does not care about their status, their power or influence. The rich and powerful are only a joke to God. Imagine Him coming to earth as He passess all the galaxies, stars and planets the He Himself created. Arriving at earth and see's the so called rich and powerful. Just an absolute joke. I wonder, does God laugh at this? He who established the universe, life, oceans and land. Then those creatures who die think they are rich and powerful. No wonder why He looks at the most humble of us in order to show His power and glory. Humility will give us a better perspective of our role in the cosmos.