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“Let Us Go and Serve Other Gods”
In today's Bible reading from Deuteronomy 13, Moses warns the people of God about "going after other gods." Throughout the chapter, he highlights various relationships that can either bring us closer to or pull us further away from God. His message is clear: if a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, a friend, a brother, a son, a daughter, or even a spouse should suggest, "Let us go after other gods and let us serve them," you shall not listen.
While we live a long time after the days of Moses, the exact same danger remains. Our hearts continue to be enticed, pushed, and pulled by the "gods" of:
- Achievement: you'll finally realize happiness once you acquire or do or reach...
- Covetousness: you can't possibly be happy for ____ because they have ____ and you don't
- Busyness: you're important and valuable because of everything you're juggling
- Control: you're the master of your surroundings, circumstances, and future
- Approval: what matters most is what other people think of you
- Comfort: relax, eat, drink, and be merry!
- Sensuality: if it feels good, do it
- Culture: just blend in and go with the flow
- Power: put people under your thumb and keep them there, at all costs
- Self: no one matters more than me; no thoughts are higher than my thoughts; I am #1
Recognizing that danger, let's allow Moses' words in Deuteronomy 13:4 to be the strongest source of shaping influence on our hearts today.
"You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him."
