Daily Devotional

(Before you read on, please know that I am speaking to myself here as much as I am to you.)

There is a lowercase ‘g’ in that verse for a reason. There are not gods, as in many. There is only one God, and you either serve Him or something that is lowercase ‘g’ which…as I just mentioned…is really nothing at all.

We’re coming to the end of 2020. A hard year for some. A fantastic year for others.

Some people made a lot less money in 2020, or lost their job, or struggled through the sheltering in place process. Others, however, thrived in 2020. I know of many people who made a lot more money, their careers thrived in 2020, and the sheltering in place has been a welcomed reprieve for introverts all around the globe.

But who really cares, after all?

I mean…enough of the focus on us! On self. On my needs or my wants or my desires or my goals or my…

My, my, my, my, my….

O my, indeed.

Enough of the shallow Christianity. Enough of the focus on felt needs. Enough of the focus on the god named Charles. Enough is enough!

As Christians, we need more focus on God and His holiness and far, far less concern for ourselves!

God does not tolerate competition. He refuses to be a co-Ruler with you. Or with me. He alone is God and there is no other.

Too often we (both you and me, by the way) focus on the blessings God can give us, rather than God alone. We want stuff, we want comfort, and we want a cozy Christianity with walls and heaters and soft chairs and temperature control and…

And I’m too consumed with it all. It has taken my focus off God and put it on other stuff. Stuff called idols. Idols of the heart as well as tangible idols made out of wood and stone and concrete foundations and glass windows and…

Stuff that doesn’t matter. Stuff that becomes an idol.

I’m so tired of sin. I’m tired of your sin. I’m tired of Bob’s sin. I’m tired of Betty’s sin. (I’m just making up names here, so don’t take it personally. Then again, maybe you should?)

But the sin I hate the most is MY SIN.

I hate my sin so much.

I absolutely loathe my pride and my lust and my anger and my covetousness and my idolatry.

But God hates my sin even more than I do. God hates my sin even more than you do. So much so that He killed His own Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross, so that He could remove my sin (and yours, as well) as far as the east is from the west.

That’s grace. That’s mercy. That alone is worthy of your focus.

My friends…let’s stop being consumed with the many gods this world has to offer, and go back to a holy view (biblical view) of God Almighty! Think less of ourselves and more about God.

I truly believe that’s what God wants for you, His beloved child.

More of God and less of the gods.

After all…God is seated upon the throne of the universe. He’s not some personal genie who jumps out of a lamp and grants three wishes every time we read the Bible.

God is so much more than that!

May our focus in 2021 be refocused on the One who matters most!

"New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation"