PODCAST
Worship God Alone
January 4th, 2013
Exodus 20:1-17RG AUDIO 010413
We are all familiar with the Ten Commandments, but often we treat them as “suggestions” or “guidelines.”
There is a reason commandment number one is number One. Gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai, just recently freed from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites needed to form an identity. They especially needed to form an identity as the people of God.
Egypt had many gods and God had warred with them and conquered them through the 10 plagues. The Israelites had witnessed this, but did they truly understand? Certainly they had a lot of “Egypt” still in them–even though they had been treated there as vile, contemptible slaves.
Number One refers to God as being God alone. In the Hebrew, this verse literally reads, “Do not put any ‘gods’ in my face.” It might also be loosely paraphrased, “Get all those gods out of my face!” If they were to become the people of God and enter into covenant with him, they must get rid of all the “gods” they had been exposed to and focus on worshiping him–alone.
We must be careful to worship God alone.
January 4th, 2013 at 3:09 am
“What “gods” rob us of our focus and render our worship as worthless?”
Anything that we idolize in life (from our jobs to our family and entertainment) robs God of our focus. Thus, maybe a spiritually healthy relationship would give God the trust that goes along with those relationships. For example, in reference to a spouse, rather than trusting the person, “trust God” to assist you with that relationship.
God gave us those 10 commandments out of love rather than authority! Obedience reaps a reward of righteous living (a “blameless” life — avoiding the painful consequences of sin).
We have access to the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name to assist us in repentance.
Worshipping God with the love for Christ reaps the reward of joy in the heart.
The cost may place you with a convicting spirit to the world, but let that conviction be in spirit only. Treat everyone with the bible’s definition of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) and let any judgment come from the hearts of the worldly.
*Remember “judgment” is not listed in that definition of love, nor, in the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).