During her many dalliances with false gods and pagan forms of worship, the people of Israel never completely abandoned the God of their redemption. They simply added other deities “with” the Lord and created other forms and venues of worship besides those which God had ordained.

Many contemporary Christians are clinging to the gods of this world – work, wealth, pleasure, convenience, ease – while, at the same time, actively participating in the worship and service of the one true God. They may not even recognize that these worldly concerns are as important to them as anything that has to do with their faith. Yet the “god which consists of this world” (2 Cor. 4.4, my translation; cf. Rom. 1.18ff.) can blind an unguarded believer just as surely as it blinds those who do not know the Lord.

Examine yourself (2 Cor. 13.5): Are you harboring other gods, looking to things other than God Himself for the hope, joy, peace, meaning, and significance you require?

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.