“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord they God am a jealous God.” Exodus 20:3-5
Today’s Christian daily devotional
As I mindlessly chatter on with the cashier at the counter, my husband does his little sigh to key me in that he is annoyed.
I give him a short glare, while grabbing our groceries. Making sure I smile extra big for the cashier before we leave, hoping it makes up for John’s less than polite behavior.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you being so rude?” Speaking in a hushed tone, I demand a reasonable explanation for his bizarre behavior.
“That guy seemed to have your full attention.” He grabbed the plastic bag from my hand, searching for his solace in protein bars.
After being married and deeply in love for over ten years, I sometimes forget the precious gift of jealousy.
My heart actually did a little leap in that grocery store parking lot. My handsome husband is still jealous for my attention. John gets plenty of it from men and women all around him, but he actually craves mine.
Real love means that a person really cares. This in turn, makes them vulnerable when it comes to you.
It is interesting to read Exodus 20:3-5. These verses gives us a peek into the heart of God. It is obvious He cares enough about us to be affected by our choices.
Although we have the free will to worship other gods, (people or things), it actually hurts God when we do. As Exodus 20: 3-5 clearly indicates, He is jealous and passionate for our love, affection and attention.
Imagine this–you birth a child. You take much pleasure in nurturing, caring and loving this child with all your heart. Now, imagine how would you feel if this precious child of yours were to love and affectionately call another person his/her mother?
God imagined us in His mind, formed us in our mother’s womb, cares for and watches over us. I am pretty sure that watching us worship and love anything other than Him must be a very painful thing for God to experience. Now ask yourself this one last question: How have you been making God feel lately?
“Dear Heavenly Father,
After reading Exodus 20:3-5, I realize that I have hurt your heart so many times in my lifetime.
I never thought of you as a God of emotion, but because the Bible clearly says that we were made in your image, I know that you have feelings as well. Forgive me for the times I have broken your heart and taken you for granted.
Forgive me for worshiping my self, my needs and my goals above you and your plan for me.
I know you created me for a divine purpose and I will never reach my potential if I keep looking at what is only in front of me, and not at the God above me.
Lord, bless me to always remember that you have feelings as well, and your heart is jealous for the things you love, and you most certainly love me. Help me to treasure it and never take advantage of your love. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Exodus 20:3-5
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan