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Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2005 | ||
Getting rid of your other gods
By JOHN HATCHER I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:2, 3). As we observe Holy Week, moving tomorrow into Maundy Thursday (when Jesus had the Last Supper and washed the feet of the disciples), then to Good Friday (which at first was a bad Friday due to our Lords murder on the cross), then to the glorious first day of the week (that we call Easter celebrating the resurrection of the Jesus from a stone cold tomb), its appropriate to begin our look at the Ten Commandments with the very first commandment. The personality and events of Holy Week communicate to everyone that there is a God who takes a personal interest in each one of us. So much so that he was willing to send his only son, Jesus, to demonstrate how to live and face adversity, finally dying on a cross for us, taking our sins upon him so that we can have eternal life starting here on earth. No other god has ever done so much for his followers. Many other gods, rather than making the provision to grant life eternal, required the sacrifice of their followers children. Other gods who had the attention of Israel and surrounding cultures actually asked for death to prove discipleship instead of doing something for their followers. When the God of Jesus revealed himself most clearly for the first time, he rendered Ten Commandments for his worshipers. He gave these ten rules of life to Moses on Mount Sinai. The first commandment demanded absolute priority for this God revealed to Moses and the Hebrew people. As the Hebrews experienced life in Egypt, they picked up an assortment of gods gods for what ailed you, gods for what challenged you. When the Hebrews came out of Egypt, they were instructed to put away other gods to which they had attached themselves while in Egypt. The God who led them out of bondage demanded absolute priority over all others competing for their affections, loyalty, and worship. If God is first, his being first will prioritize other matters and concerns in anyones life. If God is not first, all hell can influence ones life. The basis for this demand for priority over all other gods was based on what God had done for the Hebrews: he saved them, their children and their childrens children from slavery. Their other little puny gods didnt have the wherewithal to accomplish such a mighty task. It stands to reason, the god who could extricate you from slavery would be the god who could demand absolute priority. Sounds very reasonable to me. Now as you sit there in your lazy boy chair with your cluttered side table, you say: Its a wonderful first commandment and I can see how the Hebrews needed it, but I dont have any little puny gods in my house. No? We may not have statutes of gods, we have them however. Check out the influence the god materialism has on you and your family? Whats more important in your life: God or money? How about the god nationalism? Will you allow your God to judge your nation or is it always right right or wrong? How about the god secularism? How much time do you allow for the God and His church? One hour max? A couple of thousand years after the issuance of the Ten Commandments, God did something so spectacular that it split time into B.C. and A.D. He wrapped himself in flesh, came to earth, and ultimately took the punishment for our sins. He still demands absolute priority. But should not he? After all, he died on the cross and opened the way for us to live in a state of peace and joy and eventually live eternally with Jesus in heaven. This kind of God has the right to demand and then expect a total and loyal priority in our lives. Easter is a great time to get rid of the other gods that control you and your family and embrace fully the God who truly cares for you.
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