Words from the Rock
Go away Satan! The Scriptures say: “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”
Matthew 4:10 CEV
This was something else Jesus said when he was out in the desert being tempted by Satan. He’d already told the devil that it took more than food to live. And when Satan tried to get Jesus to do a cheap trick to prove he was God’s Son, Jesus told that lowlife that it was wrong to use God’s power just to show off. And in this verse Jesus must’ve been totally fed up with the devil because he simply told the loser to get lost.
Jesus also pointed out that we are to serve and worship only God—no one and nothing else. Seems simple, and yet how often we forget. Consider what you spend your time thinking about. Maybe it’s a special someone, like your most recent crush. Or maybe it’s an activity you enjoy, like a sport or shopping. The thing is, if you spend a LOT of time thinking and obsessing over this particular person or thing, it becomes a lot like worship. And you have to ask yourself, Who am I serving?
God wants us to put him in that first-place position. He wants to be the top priority in our lives. It’s okay to have other loved ones beneath him, but God wants to own that number one spot. And when he does, everything else will begin to fall into place.
My Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for showing me how important it is to keep you first and foremost in my life. Help me to remember this when other people and things try to crowd into that place. Show me how I can serve and worship you above all else!
Amen.
Final Word
The Lord is king!
Let the earth rejoice!
Let the farthest coastlands be glad.
Psalm 97:1 NLT
Stone for the Journey
I will keep God in the first-place position in my heart.