In order to help get at the root cause of sin in our lives, I will be providing “X-Ray Questions” from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes. These questions are designed to expose the sinful desires and idols of our heart. Idols are not just tangible statues people setup in their homes. Idols are anything in our lives that replace God. Timothy Keller, in Counterfeit Gods, says,

An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure…If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life, and identity, then it is an idol (xviii-xix).

Over the next several weeks, I will be posting a question or two for you and I to reflect on. These questions are designed to help us discover and root out the idols in our lives. My hope is that instead of placing external limitations on ourselves to rid sin from our lives, we will look within and discover the idols that are ultimately causing us to fall in particular areas.

X-Ray Question

(1) What do you love? Hate? This first “great commandment” question searches out, heart, soul, mind, and strength. There is no deeper question to ask of any person at any time. There is no deeper explanation for why you do what you do. Disordered loves hijack our hearts from our rightful Lord and Father. (See Matt. 22:37-39; 2 Tim. 3:2-4; Luke 16:13-14)