Love God Above All Else
Tacos are great… so are serving, and being generous, and trying to make a difference in the world. But……
“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. 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. Exodus 20:2-6
When we genuinely love God, He is the most important thing in our lives. We are to love God above all else.
What happens, though, when ‘all else’ includes the significant things in our lives like family, work, sports, or anything else that’s seemingly good? How do we know if there are idols in our lives?
An idol is any person, place, or thing we place our trust in and depend on to supply what only God can give; anything we value higher than God.
In the Book of Daniel, we see King Nebuchadnezzar demand that everyone bow down to a ninety-foot statue of himself. To build a giant statue of oneself, or to bow down to a statue, is obviously idolatry. In this instance, it is easy to apply what God says to our lives, as we don’t usually go around bowing down to golden statues.
However, it gets tricky with the things in our lives that are seemingly good and innocent. For instance, suppose someone is a long-distance runner. Running is a good activity for their health, but it becomes a problem when they start prioritizing it above spending time with God. If someone starts to build life around a training schedule, never missing a workout, and becomes willing to skip time with God, their priorities may be skewed. This is just one example of how idolatry can quite easily creep into our lives without us even realizing it.
The story of Abraham’s faith being tested with his son Isaac offers another look at idolatry. Abraham’s family, specifically his son, Isaac, who represented Abraham’s purpose and God’s promise and blessing, had become more important to him than God, the Promisor and Blesser who gave him his purpose. We should take note. All too often, without meaning to, we also elevate purpose above the Giver of purpose, promises above the Promisor, and blessings above the Blesser. God tested Abraham’s heart to see if he loved Him above all else; to see if he loved Him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. Through his willingness to sacrifice his son, Abraham passed the test. Abraham demonstrated that neither his family nor his purpose nor anything else were more important than the Giver of those gifts.
“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” Mark 12:30
So, tacos are great… so are serving, and being generous, and trying to make a difference in the world. But… God is the greatest, and we ought to love Him above all else.
