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Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International. |
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God Desires Us
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an
image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not
bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God
who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the
parents upon their children; the entire family is affected " even children in
the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing
love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”1 While the first Commandment forbids having any other gods
besides the one true God, the second commandment forbids making any images that
would be used as an object of worship. The verb to worship refers to the
act of bowing down before a superior or a ruler in order to show reverence and
obedience. As children of God, we are not to make images to represent God, nor
should we worship images of any kind. No one has seen God; therefore, He cannot
be confined to our mental limits. He is not to be worshipped as we desire, but
rather in the way he commands. John 4:24 tells us that “God is Spirit, so those
who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” God will always see the
motive of our heart, which is the source of true worship. The Lord is a jealous God and desires what is rightfully
his. This differs from envy, which is the desire for something that is not
rightfully yours. The people of Israel had made a covenant with God, and God
made it clear that there would be consequences should they break their end of
the deal. This covenant between Israel and God was like a marriage. God, the husband,
wants his wife (his people) to be faithful to him, as He is faithful to her. Idols may look different today than they did when the Ten
Commandments were given by God, but his desire for our worship to Him alone
remains the same. We would be wise to evaluate our lives and see what we are
allowing to take our time and attention. Are we worshipping God and giving him
the best of us or are we giving him only our spare time (if any)? Obedience to
God and His commands will bring blessings and God’s unfailing love, not only on
us, but our future generations. Suggested prayer: Dear God, you alone are worthy of my
worship. Forgive me for the things I have allowed to take my time and attention
away from you. Help me obey your commands and be faithful to you, as you are
faithful to me. May my example of true worship lead my children and future generations
to you. In Jesus’ name, amen. 1. Exodus
20:4-6 (NLT). Today’s Encounter was written by: Crystal B. |
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