48

48 “You shall have no other gods before me.”

 Exodus 20:3

 This is a very clear and concise command and yet we stumble over it very easily. Our flesh and our spirit contend with each other for the preeminence in our life and cause us conflict. It is so easy for us to give in to the flesh because that is what we are by nature, and yet for the Christian who has the Holy Spirit within, there is inner and sometimes outer conflict. We find it easy to relate to the flesh and find it challenging to obey and serve the invisible God who relates to us through His Spirit.

 No matter how dearly loved or how precious something or someone is to us, they do not come before our regard and reverence for the Lord. We can easily fall into idolatry and find ourselves serving others and not the Lord. How easy it is for us to hold someone in our life dear to us and close to our heart, when that place belongs to our dear Lord Jesus. It is so easy to let the temporal into first place and all spiritual ways and feelings to over-ridden by the here and now.

 God knows what is best for us and He alone can tell us that He alone is to be our first and best. He can do this because He is the perfect God and knows that we are made for Him. We find our highest delight in Him and He will lead us into all right relationships with other people. We must trust in Him and give Him the top place in all our thinking and mediation.

“But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.”

 Matthew 6:33