Post by Sheila on Apr 1, 2024 15:26:52 GMT -5
"You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:2).
This commandment simply says Christians are not to give their hearts and minds to anything or anyone ahead of God. Be careful. Some people new to reading the commandments may see the words "before me" and think that means as long as the God of the Bible is first and foremost in their hearts and minds, they can worship other gods. Not so. There are no verses in the Bible that even come close to implying a Christian can worship God first and also worship Vishnu, Buddha, trees, or anything else. Once a person becomes a Christian, all of these other gods should have no place in their life.
Some verses from the book of Deuteronomy will show how both possessions and people can be put ahead of God and so become gods. In chapter 8 it states, "Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when when your flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God . . ." (verses 12-14). This not only happens once everything is great. People forget about God as they're amassing money and possessions. The money and possessions become the gods that drive every thought and decision the person makes. The person may also place themselves in the god role by bragging to other people about what they did to achieve their goals instead of humbling themselves before God and thanking him for the blessings he bestowed upon them.
Also stated in Deuteronomy is this warning, "Loving family and friends more than God may cause you to follow them into turning to other gods" (13:6). If a person loves any other person more than God, that person becomes their god. This is shown by the fact they'll follow the suggestions or commands of their new god even when those suggestions and commands cause them to disobey what God has commanded. This is even more evident when they finally throw down this new god and begin worshiping and following the gods of any other religion.
If you profess to be a Christian, there's one sure way to know whether or not you've created false gods you're placing above God. 1 John 5:3 states, "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands". Examine your life carefully and honestly. If there's any person, possession, or even activity that takes up so much of your time and thoughts that you don't think about God or thank him for those things at least part of the day, you might have placed them as a god above God in your life. You definitely need to make some changes in your life. Put God where he belongs which is above and before everything else in your life.
* All quotes from the New International Version of the Bible.
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers
This commandment simply says Christians are not to give their hearts and minds to anything or anyone ahead of God. Be careful. Some people new to reading the commandments may see the words "before me" and think that means as long as the God of the Bible is first and foremost in their hearts and minds, they can worship other gods. Not so. There are no verses in the Bible that even come close to implying a Christian can worship God first and also worship Vishnu, Buddha, trees, or anything else. Once a person becomes a Christian, all of these other gods should have no place in their life.
Some verses from the book of Deuteronomy will show how both possessions and people can be put ahead of God and so become gods. In chapter 8 it states, "Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when when your flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God . . ." (verses 12-14). This not only happens once everything is great. People forget about God as they're amassing money and possessions. The money and possessions become the gods that drive every thought and decision the person makes. The person may also place themselves in the god role by bragging to other people about what they did to achieve their goals instead of humbling themselves before God and thanking him for the blessings he bestowed upon them.
Also stated in Deuteronomy is this warning, "Loving family and friends more than God may cause you to follow them into turning to other gods" (13:6). If a person loves any other person more than God, that person becomes their god. This is shown by the fact they'll follow the suggestions or commands of their new god even when those suggestions and commands cause them to disobey what God has commanded. This is even more evident when they finally throw down this new god and begin worshiping and following the gods of any other religion.
If you profess to be a Christian, there's one sure way to know whether or not you've created false gods you're placing above God. 1 John 5:3 states, "In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands". Examine your life carefully and honestly. If there's any person, possession, or even activity that takes up so much of your time and thoughts that you don't think about God or thank him for those things at least part of the day, you might have placed them as a god above God in your life. You definitely need to make some changes in your life. Put God where he belongs which is above and before everything else in your life.
* All quotes from the New International Version of the Bible.
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers