“‘You shall have no other gods before me.'” Exodus 20:3 (NIV)
Israel had a tendency to worship the idols of other nations, which eventually resulted in their being exiled to Assyria and Babylonia. Turning away from one’s primary object of devotion, namely God, is to worship other gods. God is a jealous God and demands undivided loyalty and devotion. God created us for Himself and does not honor our proclivity to divert our devotion.
Joshua combated this tendency and boldly declared his radical devotion to the Lord, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15 NIV). In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clarified the truth behind our perpetual dilemma, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matt. 6:24 NIV).
Put God first in your finances. Honor God by tithing your income. Give ten percent, save ten percent, and then spend the remaining 80 percent in a way that blesses God and benefits others.
Put God first in your schedule. Start each day with God. Spend unhurried time alone with Him in Bible reading and prayer. Grow in your love relationship by nurturing the life of Christ in you. Guard your daily intimacy with the Lord. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).
Put God first in your relationships. Make room in your life to build meaningful relationships with others. Make it obvious in your relationships that Jesus is your top priority. Demonstrate His Lordship in all of your relationships.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell