September 19, 2006

Chiseling Away at God

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."  (Exodus 20:4-6 New King James Version)

The second Commandment is closely related to the first, but with a subtle difference.  The first Commandment speaks about the exclusivity of WHO we worship while the second speaks to HOW we worship. Together they make this statement:

God, and God alone is worthy of first place in our life. Nothing nor no one else should take His place. He should only be worshiped in truth not as some shadow or distorted image from our own imagination, but as the one true and living God as revealed in creation and in Scripture. If we worship God in truth and with single-minded devotion, we shall leave a legacy of faith that extends to and blesses others.  If we reduce God to a man-sized idea, then our warped faith will be passed on to succeeding generations.  We may never build an idol of stone, wood, or clay, but with our idolatrous heart we still "chisel away" at God.

Posted by Jim at 00:13:17 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |
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