GOD FIRST- ALWAYS

An idol is anything put before God (see Exodus 20:3).  Solomon allowed his many wives to turn his heart away from God and to idols (see 1 Kings 11:3-4).  The idol worship of Solomon, then the same by the dysfunctional kings in the divided kingdom resulted in dire circumstances.

What are some of today’s idols that prohibit us from keeping God first?  The list of possibilities is too long to list in this sort of missive but I’m sure we would all agree that money, career, a person near and dear to us or even our view of ourselves can insidiously be grown to be bigger and/or more important than our God.  In this latter sense, we are implicitly stating that we aren’t convinced that we are absolutely safe in the hands of a fully competent, all-knowing, ever-present God.

What happens if we live a life relying more on ourselves than on God?  We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety because everything depends on us.  The fatal flaw in depending on ourselves is that we are all we have.  Our mood will depend on our circumstances.  When we have a chance to share our faith, we shrink away – what if we are rejected or can’t find the right words?  We can’t be generous because our financial security depends on ourselves.  When we need to confront someone, we will likely pull punches.  If we are faced with the temptation to speak deceitful words to avoid pain, we will probably give in to it.  If somebody gets mad at us or disapproves of our actions, we get all twisted up in knots because we don’t have the security of a God that is looking out for us.  When we shrink God and increase ourselves, we pray without faith, which results in fear; we work without passion, which results in retreat from what God has called us to do; we serve God without joy, which results in loss of vision – we forget what God is trying to accomplish through us; we suffer without hope, which results in failure to persevere.  Avoid the dire circumstances – put God first.