In Exodus 34:14 God tells us, "You must not worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you."
What do you think about when He says not to worship or bow down before any other gods?
Do you picture Buda, or Muhammad, or maybe a statue made of gold?
That's what first comes to my mind most of the time, probaly because I think about other gods that people put their faith into. I believe God is talking about these kinds of idols but I also believe He is telling us to be careful about what we let take control of our lives.
I love to play video games! I can sit in front of a TV screen for hours at a time and almost hypnotize myself playing them; ecspecially if I'm playing a RPG like Final Fantasy. My mind and imagination will immerse into the action or story line. It's almost like I'm really in the game.
It's fun and relaxing, and that's great. There is nothing wrong with that. The problem comes in when that's all I do. Staying up until 12 or 1 in the morning playing games when I need to take responsibility and go to bed a little earlier or spend time with my wife and kids or when I need to spend time with God in prayer or study or even helping somebody in need. This is when I know enough is enough. The satisfaction I used to get out of the game has turned to conviction and now I must make a choice.
God is a passionate God and He wants no other in front of Him. He longs for the relationship that He created you for.
Do you struggle with putting things before God? What do you put before Him?
Make a daily choice to put God first in your life. If something is getting in the way, you might need to take a break for awhile.
I personally had to sell my games to get them from in front of me so I wouldn't be tempted, because I tend not to have a lot of self control in that situation. I'm not saying you have to do the same thing, but I am saying pay attention to your life and whats going on. If you feel spiritually drained and out of sync with God, maybe ther's something you are putting before Him.
2 comments:
Rodney,
This post was awesome!! Computer games is my big thing that I put before God sorry to say but I put them before God this morning, right before I read this.
Thanks for making me realize what I'm really doing.
Jessica
This is a terrific post; many times I put other things ahead of my relationship with Jesus. I've been away from church for a long time because it's so hard to find one I'm comfortable with, that isn't full of hypocrites and judgmental people. We attended Real Life Church for the first time yesterday and I felt so welcome, even though I didn't really talk to many people. I loved the music and the sermon, and I know I'll definitely be back. This post about clean hands, along with yesterday's sermon, really spoke to me. Thank you.
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