“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3 (NKJV)
One of the ten commandments of God is that we are to have no other gods before the only One True God. It’s understandable that God gave that commandment back in Old Testament times; the people went and worshipped a golden calf when Moses was up on the mountain hearing from God.
Of course, that wouldn’t seem to come into play today. We don’t worship idols, the sun god, the moon god, or a golden calf. We don’t worship media personalities, politicians, prominent preachers, wealth, and influence. It’s not like we have a popular TV show trying to find the next American idol. Is it?
When we are sick we don’t take the doctors’ word first and foremost before we talk to God, do we? When we think we need more money, we don’t go to a bank, credit cards, friends, seek a better job, or some such things before God. Do we? We don’t have more faith in our own abilities before God, do we? We don’t accept what society thinks before we check into what God thinks. Do we?
Well… maybe we put a few things before God. Does that really imply that we don’t believe in God? Maybe we just have more faith in other things. Maybe if the other things don’t work out, we can go to God.
Of course, that might be putting God as a last resort instead of putting God first.
Just a thought.

The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
“Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever. (Dt 28:43-45) KJV
Recently I have seen and heard people point out part of this scripture. (That’s the part where aliens or foreigners will rise above the children of God). However, as this scripture points out, it is not because the aliens were there, it was because the people did not follow the commandments of God.
A similar thing can be said about 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is where God says that if the people humble themselves and pray, God will heal their land. BUT,,, the people must turn from their wicked ways.
It seems that so often we look for God to fulfill His promises to us; and protect us; and make us prosper. However, we neglect to even attempt to hold up our end of the bargain. It would do us all well to remember that he further a people slip away from God, the further they are from His Blessings.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1:27) NASB
There seems to be a trend right now (well actually for quite a few years), that I’m not sure is good. That trend is open bashing of ‘religion’.
I’m sure we have all seen bumper stickers, book marks, t-shirts, and memes on social media. They say things like:
“I’m not religious. I just love Jesus.”
“It’s not about religion. It’s about relationship.”
“You think you have a problem with religious people. They killed Jesus.”
Depending on what you see as religion, it is easy to see where the authors and bearers of these phrases are coming from.
Worse still, there are countless people, pastors, and self-proclaimed prophets that proclaim hatred, pride, prosperity, and any number of worldly values instead of the Kingdom of God and its righteousness.
By and large, what we usually think of as religion has become more tradition than salvation, more death than life, more hatred than love.
That is NOT what Gods calls religion to be. Religion should be pure and undefiled. To be religious one should be a doer and not just a hearer of God’s Word (James 1:22).
Pure religion should keep us unsoiled in a dirty world. It is not simply ceremony; but rather the worshipping of God in Truth and in Spirit (John 4:23-24).
Our religion should not be one of judging by mere appearances or providing what we think is necessary lip service, but rather it should be one in pursuit of righteousness (John 7:24). Our religion should be one with Justice, tempered with Mercy and Grace and performed in the aforementioned Spirit and Truth.
Instead of me complaining about “religious” people and churches that do not meet my standards, I need to set my mind on the mark of the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus, and pray my heart will be bent to what God’s Word calls true religion. To say that is more than a mouthful for me. The only way that I could possibly do that is thru the saving Grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” (Jesus speaking).
Matthew 12:30 (NIV)
Recently I recalled an old episode of “Touched by an Angel.” In this particular show, after a terrible tragedy, the angel Monica (one of the main characters in the show) goes off into the desert to be by herself. There she is approached by the devil.
The devil does not appear as some red creature with horns and a pitchfork breathing threats. Instead the devil drives up in a sleek shiny attractive car and offers Monica a ride.
He is cordial, articulate, and well-dressed. He has the distinctive air of success.
He does not deny who he is but says, “Monica, I am not the enemy. I am the alternative.”
It may just have been a TV show, but so often art imtitates life.
The devil comes to us often when we are alone and vulnerable. He makes attractive offers, or so they seem at the time. He did it to Jesus in the Bible. (Check out the books of Matthew or Luke. (Chapter 4 in each book).
The devil does not usually appear as our enemy, but rather he offers himself or another way as an alternative.
How often have we heard the words “Alternative Lifestyle” for things or ways that are an abomination before the Lord?
The enemy (yes, he is the enemy) tries to ensnare us with attractive offers. Sin may seem pleasurable… for a season (Hebrews 11:25).
The devil attempts to convince us that our ungodly actions are justified, often not wrong… just different.
God’s Word is quite clear. These “alternatives” always lead to death.
If we are unclear about something we need only to ask ourselves, “is this FOR Jesus? Is this FOR the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?” If it is not, then it is against Him.
Do not let anyone deceive you. That’s the Truth, and there are no alternatives.

If we say we love God, but hate others, we are liars. For we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen. 1John 4:20 (GNT)
If it were up to me, I probably would not have put this verse in the Bible. Fortunately, it wasn’t up to me.

In the movie “Peaceful Warrior”, Nick Nolte plays a character that is referred to as Socrates. Socrates is the enigmatic mentor of the main character, who is a college gymnast.. At some point, Socrates tells his pupil that “Those who are the hardest to love, need it the most.”

Sometimes I think that the above verse from 1st John and whoever wrote “Peaceful Warrior” had me in mind. This seems to apply to me and those I find I have a hard time loving as Christ did. Upon further review, when I have been at my hardest to love, is exactly when I needed God’s loving touch the most.

Now it was the governor’s custom at the (Passover) festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered. (Matthew 27:15-17, 21) NIV

This scripture is from a well-known story from the Bible. Jesus (the Messiah) has healed the sick, cast out demons, preached repentance and love for one another. He is brought before the Roman governor, accused by the high priest of blasphemy.
Jesus Barabbas meanwhile has been arrested for murder and insurrection (Luke 23).
The governor finds no guilt in Jesus the Messiah, but he doesn’t want more problems in his region. He gives the people a choice to free one of these people, the Messiah or the Murderer, thinking it is a pretty obvious choice.
However, the people demand that Barabbas be set free and the Messiah sentenced to death.
My first question is: how possibly could they have chosen Barabbas? Clearly they choose the wrong Jesus.
My next question is: What would we do? Surely we know better and cannot be fooled by the Barabbas’s… can we?
My final questions are: Are there times that I have made such a blatantly wrong choice? Have I ignored or denounced the way of the Messiah? Have I honored the way of the criminal or sinner? Have I ever chosen the wrong Jesus?

Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then do we deal faithlessly and treacherously each against his brother, profaning the covenant of [God with] our fathers? (Malachi 2:10) AMPC
It doesn’t take much of an effort to see how our society is split by an us vs. them mentality. (Race against race; Republican against Democrat; rich against poor; Conservative against Liberal; religion against religion; nationality against nationality; neighbor against neighbor; I could go on and on).
Some of the worst of this is that much of the hatred, animosity, and treachery come from those who profess to be children of God. Yet have we not one Father?
It is not me that posed that question. The question is answered many times throughout scripture. It is quite succinctly put in Ephesians 4:6, “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
I’m thinking that if I can keep that thought forefront in my heart and in my mind, I can avoid dealing faithlessly or treacherously because I certainly do not wish to profane the covenant with God.

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 (NIV)
I think we have all been there at one time or another. We were simply minding our own business, or perhaps we were trying to do the right thing. In fact, we may have gone above and beyond whatever someone could have expected. It might even have been to our own detriment. Then we were turned on by those we were befriending.
God wants those that have done evil to turn from their wicked ways. So the Lord tells us to continue to do good; to bless those who curse us; and to pray for them that despitefully use us. If we continue to do right and they continue to do wrong, “burning coals” will be heaped on their heads. (v 20)
They better listen up. I don’t think anyone wants a fricasseed brain.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” (Zechariah 7:9–10, ESV)

This message from the Prophet Zechariah seems pretty straight forward. This was not a new word from the Lord. Prophets before Zechariah gave the people the same message. People ignored it and turned their back on God’s wishes.

Once again the message did not take hold. Not only that but Jesus tells a crowd (specifically those that would be considered the religious people of that day), that they not only ignored this message, but also killed the prophets who brought it. (Matthew 23) As for Zechariah, he was: “…murdered between the temple and the altar.”

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Matthew 6:12

This verse comes from what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. When I first learned this prayer in Sunday school, I asked my father what it meant. He said that however we forgive somebody when they do us wrong is exactly how God will forgive us when we do wrong.
Yikes!
I definitely did not like that. In fact, for some time, whenever I had to recite the Lord’s Prayer, I didn’t say that verse. (As if that wouldn’t apply to me if I didn’t say it).

Eventually I would discover that apparently this verse is so important, that immediately after the prayer, are verses 14 and 15, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” NIV

Later, in Matthew 18, Jesus tells a parable illustrating exactly what this verse means.
In time, I stopped not speaking that verse out loud, because I realized that it didn’t really matter what I did or did not say, if God said it, it’s true.
I must admit, even today, whenever I say the Lord’s Prayer, my mind starts racing. Am I really ok here?
I reflect on how I forgive… and sometimes re-reflect on that.