You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3; NKJV

An Army captain stationed in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm often sent his kids candy wrappers and soda cans with Arabic script, or stones from the desert. On a whim, he mailed his wife a tiny bottle of desert sand he had gathered from the floor of his tent. That way, he explained, even though they were separated by thousands of miles, she could “worship the ground he walked on.” Men, I know it may be hard to admit, but we are not God in relationships or of this world!

In today’s culture, we tend to focus on self. We worship ourselves in the way that we appear, expecting others to adore us. We also worship the “Almighty Dollar,” sex, and Hollywood. Though we may not raise our hands or dance around these idols, the matter of worship is defined by our priorities. Instead of our affections, loyalty, time, and energy to be placed in the creature or the created, God expects our allegiance in the Creator. Whether we pray to various gods or prey on vicarious goals, in either case we put the creature in place of the Creator when our adoration and reverence belongs to Him. He is the fountain of happiness; so, remove yourself from false dependence and turn to the only Living source of joy. When we put God first before anything else, we will want to worship the very ground He walked on two thousand years ago – not the ground we walk on, nor the ground of our spouse.

“I gave in, and admitted that God was God.” – C.S. Lewis