God is Jealous for Your Worship

God is jealous for your worship. He feels very deeply about it. Will you give Him what he desires? Keep Reading...

READ
Exodus 20:4-6 NLT - “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.

REFLECT
What would cause a person to trade in a love relationship with the Creator for a love relationship with a piece of wood? Yet this is done. The Israelites ended up worshipping a man-made cow almost as soon as these words were spoken by God. And they continued their idolatry into the following generations.

The prophet, Isaiah, spoke of the Israelites who used half of their wood for a fire to cook food and the other half to fashion an idol to worship. Isaiah 44:14-17 How ridiculous! And yet how common - even in our day.

What is the draw within the human heart towards idolatry? When creation is worshipped, the worshipper believes that he still has an element of control over his "deity". The desire to be in control or to be God is at the heart of idolatry. A false sense of security fuels this deadly deception. For no man can control God. Yet we try…

God is jealous for your affection. Not some of it, but all of it. God is jealous for your attention, for your gaze and focus. He is not into religious acts of piety. He wants your love. God takes your worship personally.

The blessing of worshipping God is clear. Generations will be impacted by the lavished love of God. Conversely, idolatry leaves heavy baggage for generations to come. It leaves behind an inheritance of deception, rebellion and pride for future generations to wade through. Each person is responsible for their own worship choices. But we can make things much easier or harder for the next generation.

RESPOND
Ask God to scan your house and life for idols. If you have even a slight impression that there is idolatry around you or in you, be quick to repent and then rid yourself of the idol. Potential idols: a relationship, money, house, car, sleep, ministry, work, entertainment, gaming, food / drink, mobile phone, children, spouse, exercise, body image…