“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Exodus. 20:3
God addressed this first and foremost in one of ten specific commandments given to Moses. Despite how straightforward the first commandment is, people have and continue to pursue false gods because what they truly seek is driven by an age-old mentality, “It’s all about me.” I say age-old because this mindset traces back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve’s thoughts were not about serving God but about becoming gods.
False gods will invariably prove to be a void that always ends in defeat. Elijah’s challenge to the people who worshiped Baal on Mt. Carmel is a good example. He told the people to prepare an ox, place it on an altar, but put no fire under it. Instead, they were to call upon their god to consume the ox. After several hours, there was no answer from their god, and Elijah taunted them, and they prayed with more intensity and inflicted injuries on themselves, but, to no avail, their god gave no answer. Then Elijah prepared an altar, stacked some wood, cut up the ox, and had the people pour twelve large jars of water on the wood. Then he prayed to God, and fire reached down from heaven and consumed the ox, the wood, and the altar!
Like Baal, the false gods of today, money, power, fame, status, you name it, will also come up empty and leave us hollow on the inside. That is not to say that God does not want us to enjoy having money or fame or whatever. The point is that such things must not become more important to us than our relationship with God. Therefore, as we prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, let us be thankful for what God has done for us and mindful of His first commandment. Jesus tells us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, for when we do so, we will not place other gods before Him.
On the team’s behalf here at A Faithful Sower Ministry, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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