One True God (Ex. 20:1-3)

6/10/2008 9:33 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time           Focus:  Recognizing one true God

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Exodus 20:1-3

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶ Then God spoke all these words, saying, 2  ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  3 ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’”

            I am now entering into the last part of the chapter in Dr. Wiersbe’s book and this section is entitled “A life of responsibility,” which comes under the statement that he made in the first part of this chapter, “When God spoke to His people; by His grace He called them to a very special life.”

            This area of the Scripture is where the Ten Commandments are given and that is what the subject is for the next few SD’s.

            In verse three the words “before Me,” and this can also mean “in opposition to Me,” for the Jews to worship another god would be to declare war on Jehovah and incur His wrath. 

            Verse two tells the Israelites that it was God who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, it was not the power of anything else, but only God and therefore they need to listen to what God has to say to them.  While the children of Israel were in the land of Egypt they could see that the Egyptians worshiped many gods and in their hearts they knew that this was wrong because of their heritage from the patriarchs.  While the children of Israel were in the land of Egypt for those four hundred years they all had hope that someday the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would send a redeemer to lead them out of this land of slavery into the Promised Land.  I’m sure that not all of them believed this, but many of them were looking for this promised redeemer to come.  The point here is that the children of Israel knew that there was only one true God, but saw the Egyptians worship many gods, of which God destroyed those so-called gods when he destroyed Egypt. 

            The first commandment that God gives to His chosen people is that they should have no other gods before Him, but sadly they would fall into idolatry and have to be punished for it by their one true God.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I read a statement from this book which has stuck to me and has to do with worshiping idols.  The statement goes something like this, people worship idols and then when they get there self into trouble they expect God to get them out of that trouble.  Case in point there were many investors who thought that they were investing their money with Andrew Lech through another person and for many of these people they were greedy, including myself, and in fact were putting this money before God, including myself, and when the whole thing fell apart the first thing that is done is to expect the Lord to get us out of the trouble we got ourselves in by putting something before the Lord.  What I have learned for this is that if there is a return of our funds it will only be because of the grace of God using Andrew Lech to do it.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1. Have no other gods before God.
2. Trust the Lord to lead me on the path He wants me to follow.
3. Give myself to the Lord as Paul writes about in Romans 12:1-2.
4. Be yoked up with the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Trust the Lord to make a way of escape to temptations.
6. Learn to pray as Epaphras did.
7. Learn contentment like Paul learned it through the trials and tests of life.

Memory verses for the week:                      Colossians 4:12-13

12.    Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

13.    For I testify of him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

6/10/2008 10:20 AM