Downsizing
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the Lord your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth. - Deuteronomy 6:13-15
Today's reading from Deuteronomy is a stark reminder that God is all powerful and mighty.
We are told that God is jealous and would destroy us if we follow other gods.
When I hear of other gods, I automatically think of other religions and I know it doesn't apply to me. I believe in one God, so I am safe, right?
But what if I put other things above God? Is that the same as treating them as gods?
Jesus told his followers that they cannot serve two masters. He warns them about where they put their hearts, for what we value and fall in love with can pull us away from God.
But we don't like to think of God as jealous, do we? Through Christ, we have gained an inheritance as children of God, so we can feel a bit privileged.
Our Father in heaven would not kindle wrath against us, right? Instead, we will be forgiven.
My father never raised a hand against us when we were children. Yes, he would get angry and he would yell at us, punishing us in other ways, but he never physically hurt us.
It was in seeing how our actions hurt him that caused the real pain. We loved him too much to hurt him that way, so we tried to be good.
That's the way we should see our God., as one who loves us so much, it hurts when we turn against Him.
So, perhaps we should take a close look at all the gods in our lives, all the influences and desires that pull us away from God.
As Lent approaches it is a good time to take stock, to toss out all the things we really don't need and bring ourselves back to the basics. Consider it downsizing, as though we are moving into a smaller home, one where only the essentials fit.
Then, with much fewer distractions, we can be happy. And perhaps we can come to know God better.
More to come...