Everybody has a favorite. Our favorite song. Favorite food. Favorite movie. On and on it goes. Pick a topic, and we can almost all name our favorite.
There’s nothing wrong with having favorites. Except in one instance: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
Not too many people have a quibble with that verse or the statement it contains. If a person believes in God, then it’s more than likely that they agree He alone is worthy of worship and our loyalty.
But what is God talking about in this verse, and does it really still apply in today’s world?
Take a Look at Our Gods
Certainly, the typical evangelical would steadfastly insist that God’s statement we are to have no other gods before (or besides) Him, but what we say and what we do can be two different things. And it’s those differences that tend to mess us and our message up.
What’s important to us? What’s the main thing we focus on daily? Our families are important to us. So are our careers. Others put their focus on a particular sport or team, while others put their focus on civic organizations. Some have no more important thing in their life than their church.
And in each of these instances, we are placing another “god” in the lineup, standing in the No. 1 spot.
When we become too busy with our family, career, church, etc., then we begin to shirk our responsibilities to God and our obligation to put Him first. It’s possible to devote ourselves entirely to God and pour ourselves into other matters. God doesn’t expect us to move to monasteries or hermitages in the Saudi desert near Mt. Sinai. He isn’t advocating we all move to mountainsides and ignore all other things on earth.
God knows we have to have careers, and He wants us to enjoy and love our families. He wants us to be faithful to our local church. But there is a fine line between commitment to those things and our commitment to God.
Jesus, when talking about discipleship, said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciples. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).
What is Jesus saying? Is He saying that becoming a disciple means we are obligated to turn our backs on all those relationships in order to follow Him? Does He expect us to renounce those we are supposed to love—the very ones the Bible tells us to love and protect—and leave them all alone so we can follow Him?
The answer is, of course not. Jesus does not expect us to suddenly revile all those we held dear once we become a follower of Christ. He wants us to learn to let Him love them through us, instead. But by saying that we are to “hate” our family, Jesus is telling us that He must always be our first priority. Always. By being faithful to Him first, we are able to better love those around us.
But what about our careers? I realize God must come first, but the job is important, right? Without the job, how would I feed my family (assuming I have one), how would I clothe and house them? And that‘s true. Our jobs are important.
The trouble is that sometimes, we lose focus on what’s really important. Satan loves to use the things that are “important” to try to slip that thing between us and our relationship with God. Already, the American social dictate states that we must be readily available for our work. We carry cell phones and have ready access to email so that the job can contact us at a moment’s notice. We are treated as though we are irreplaceable when it comes to giving our time and skills to the job, but not so irreplaceable that the job can always find someone else who will give the time the job requires.
So, we make compromises. We learn to look the other way when the career tells us to do one thing, while the Bible tells us to do another. We justify it by thinking to ourselves that we know what we’re being asked to do is not a biblically correct, but it’s something that we know is done in other companies, and if we don’t go along with it, then it’s not unrealistic to see how we may become expendable to the job.
Maybe the first time, we agonize over the decision. But the next time, it becomes easier, not so stressful or agonizing. And so it goes as we move up the ladder, gaining more perks but also more responsibilities. We tell ourselves we’re staying true to God, but He’ll understand what we’re doing is just the price we pay for doing what we do.
The same is true of family. We devote ourselves to our spouse and children, pouring ourselves into their wellbeing. We want only the best for them, and we will do anything within our power to make sure our family has the best. We are so committed to our family that we declare to ourselves, and perhaps to the world, that nothing and no one will ever come between us and our family. Family first and only, always.
And then there’s the church. We love our church. It is the greatest church in the history of all Christendom. And to help keep it that way, we are there whenever the doors are open. Often, even when the doors are closed. We have our fingers in many of the ministries of the church—actively involved in the music and education ministries, working with a designated age group that really needs us. And we’re doing it all for the Lord. We’re planning, we’re going, we’re coming, and we’re giving ourselves completely to that church. Because we love the Lord.
Do You See the Problem?
The problem with all these examples is not that we love our job, our family and our church. The problem is that each of them has taken on a greater importance in our lives than God has. I’m cutting ethical corners at work because I have to; God will understand. God understands that His word is less important to me than my career? Yes, God understands, but He does not condone it. By saying, “God will understand,” we’re putting career above God. It has become our god.
“No one comes before my family.” I’m blessed to have a daughter who is where God wants her. Unfortunately, where God wants her is halfway around the world. The person who says, “No one comes between me and my family,” would fight tooth and nail to keep that daughter safely nearby. Sure, we understand that our children will grow up and move out on their own (who’s stupid idea was that?), but we want our children close so we can keep them safe, we can meet their needs, we can do for them. Because of our devotion to them. And in placing myself in the position of being Provider and Protector of the family, I am letting God know that He may be able to protect and provide for everyone else, but not my family. That’s my job. My family is now my god.
But church—how can church become my god? I’m serving God through my church. Are we? If I’m the one who’s planning the lessons, doing the work, making myself indispensable to the church, who’s really in charge? The ultimate hubris of the church member is the one who “knows” they know what’s best for their church, and will not be afraid to make that knowledge obvious to all. When I do all the planning, then I’m not really letting God into the process. About Jesus, Paul writes, “And He is the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18a). If I’m doing things for the church without really consulting God in any of the matters, then my church has become my god.
If anything takes us away from God, if anything begins to take priority in our lives over God, then we have placed another god before or beside Him.
How Can I Return God to the No. 1 Place?
Maybe I’m telling myself that I’m pouring myself out as an offering through my service, either to family, church or job—but we need to ask ourselves, honestly, why are we doing what we are doing? Have we earnestly sought God’s leadership in all the decisions we make regarding our family, job and church? Are we doing these things in order to make ourselves look better, or are we doing them because God has led us to do them? Could we walk away from church, family, job, etc., if they became a threat to our relationship with God?
The only way to get things right is to confess our sin to Him and ask God to once again be our Lord, accepting the “risks” that will go with that commitment. It may mean I have to let go of the reins of my family, trusting Him to know better for them than I do. It may mean letting God work through me at church, reducing my commitment if need be, and turning over the leadership of the church to Him. Trust that He really can work through other people in the fellowship. And it may mean taking a stand for what is right at work, even if it ultimately costs us our job.
Going back to my daughter halfway around the world. When she first came to us and told us she believed God was leading her to do what she’s doing, I’ll admit I wasn’t happy to hear it. I am one of those people who would love for my kids to all be living under our roof. I’m happy they’re all out of the house now and moving on with their adult lives, but I truly love having my children near me. To think God was leading one to be 12 hours away by the clock and a day’s travel away by plane, I wasn’t happy. I tried to convince her that God was calling her to New Mexico.
But ultimately, I knew that if God was calling her to serve Him somewhere far away, it was the right thing for her. He would take care of her and He would lead her. And He is. I miss my little girl, but I know she’s where God wants her.
I was surprised when she told me that some of those working with her had had strong resistance from their families. I just assumed parents would want their children to be where God wanted them. Doing what God wants us to do is difficult enough, but Satan will put resistance in our way always.
Which brings us to the flip side, the words Jesus spoke about being His disciple. Sometimes, going were God wants us will not be met with the family’s blessings. Sometimes, it will mean choosing to obey God rather than please family. Putting God first means doing what God wants.
Conclusion
If God wants us in a certain career, He will not put us in a position that requires us to cut corners, to ignore God’s will in order to “get ahead” at work. If God wants us to be a part of a family, He will expect us to put them under His care and protection. And if God wants us to be involved in our church, He will open our eyes to see how we can best be used by Him to further His work in that church.
It’s not always easy making sure there are no other gods in our lives, but once we commit ourselves to His care, we will truly be better off in every aspect of our lives.
© 2019 Glynn Beaty