A REMINDER -Give Rightful Place To God
- Linda A. Knowles
- Jul 23, 2019
- 3 min read
Why exchange GOD who is eternal for other things which are not lasting?
Idols cannot give us life. GOD, however, is the Creator; He is the Giver of Life. “…yet my people have exchanged their glorious GOD for worthless idols,” (Jeremiah 2:11). An idol is anything or anyone that takes away GOD’s rightful place in our lives. To exchange GOD for temporal things is foolishness. Why would we exchange GOD who is the glory and the lifter of our heads (Psalm 3:3) for something else that is incapable of giving us life, for something which fades or withers away, something which eventually breaks (1 John 2:17).
“You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected–even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.” -Exodus 20:3-6
Since we are commanded not to have any other gods but the Almighty GOD then we must take hold of GOD, and cling tightly to His truth for He is our Sustainer (Psalm 54:4) and He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). When we love GOD, with our whole heart and soul and mind, we won’t want to hurt or displease GOD. We demonstrate our love for GOD by giving GOD His rightful place in our lives and obeying all He has commanded us to do. First place in our lives is not for anyone or anything else.
GOD alone is sovereign, worthy of all glory, honor, and praise for Who He Is. He is worthy because He is GOD and has demonstrated His love and mercy to us by bestowing His love and His blessings lavishly upon His children. GOD is to be our First Love. Nothing can give us lasting joy except for GOD, and there is nothing that can replace GOD in our lives. We can try to replace GOD in our lives, but that would be breaking GOD’s commands which would displease GOD and cause us nothing but heartache.
REFLECTION: “So that I may take hold of the hearts of the people of Israel. For because of their idols, they are all estranged from ME,” (Ezekiel 14:5). “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinner; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between GOD and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor,” (James 4:7-10).
Is God first in your life? Have you let anything take God's rightful place in your life. Let’s not pull away from GOD, but let’s be faithful to our GOD and not dessert Him for things which are fleeting. Instead, let’s worship Him in spirit and in truth, giving Him our very best because He gave us His very best, loving Him because He first loved us. GOD is worthy of us following Him wholeheartedly. We should never give Him our leftovers, but give Him all the honor due Him because He is GOD.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are Sovereign. There is no other who compares with You for You are glorious and majestic in all Your ways. Forgive me for the times I have put other things before You. I never want to displease You. Help me to always remember that You alone are GOD and You want the best for me. Thank You for allowing me the privilege to be able to draw close to You. Thank You for being mindful of me and for lavishly loving me. Thank You for forgiving me. Because I love You, I will do as You command and walk in Your ways. Guide me into all truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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