God’s top ten (1)
May 18th, 2010 by ljkim
The first of the ten commandments reads: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Deuteronomy 5:6-7, ESV) What does this mean? On the one hand the Bible says there are no gods other than the one creator God; but then you have passages like this. So how can you have “other gods”? The idea is that things that are not God can *function* as “god” in your life. Whatever you obey, whatever you sacrifice for, whatever you look to for your self-worth functions your “god.” We’re going to talk about some of that this Sunday in the part we’re up to in Colossians; but let me expand upon that last part a bit…
You (everyone) need to feel good about yourself. You need to know that you’re an okay person, and deep down you long to be “extraordinary.” This is a basic fact about our psychological makeup. But we have lots of different ways we try to become extraordinary. Sometimes you can own something so nice, or so cool that it gives you the feeling that you’re extraordinary: a new gadget, a new toy, a nice car, or great clothes. Sometimes you can do something to make yourself feel extraordinary: say something smart, win a competition, do something good, become popular… Sometimes it’s something you feel: like the feeling when you’re having fun, or when you’re in love, or someone is in love with you. But we’re always looking to something to tell us who we are, make us extraordinary… to justify our existence. And whatever that is at the moment, THAT is your god.
Now if you’ve never thought of this before – it’s a hard concept to get…but you have a “god.” You look to something and treat it as your “god.” It doesn’t matter if you grew up Catholic or Atheist or Buddhist, we all have something…we’re religious creatures by nature. And it’s worth taking some time to figure out: What is your “god”?
Whatever it is that gives you your sense of “worth,” that gives your life meaning – whatever it is that you almost always obey and sacrifice (other things) for – THAT is your “god.” So what’s yours?
The first commandment is to make God your god. Literally God is saying, “get those other gods out of my face” – “no other gods before (from in front of) me.” The #1 issue God wants you to deal (the #1 commandment) has to do with all your other gods…
Let me know what you think – questions – in the comments section!
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