Love God More Than Anything

Judges 17: 11-13 - So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him.  Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.  And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”

Micah lived in a self-created …delusional world… built around his desire to have the Lord bless him…but…for all the wrong reasons. Sure …he repented of his earlier life of thievery from his mother…but he never repented of his love of money.  His own mother even supported his habit. He lived under the false assumption that being good could somehow bring you blessings from God…or save your soul.

Micah still lived under the New Testament Laws. Never one do we read that he prepared the correct sacrifices and atoned for the sin in his life. He doesn’t talk of reading the law...or trying to keep them.  He simply assumes God will bless him if he is good…never once understanding that the idols he had in his house broke the first and most important commandment according to Matthew 27:22…where the words of Jesus are recorded later in the Bible. 

Jesus came to fulfill the law God gave to Moses. God knew that goodness…that genetics….that money could not buy his love.  Salvation is available to all that call on his name to be saved…that believe on the son Jesus Christ who died to pay the full atonement for every sin. Apart from that blood…I am doomed to die for my sins.

I needed the reminder that I must never let the material driven world I live in control my heart.  It can take over quickly...even in one who claims to love God.  One of satan’s favorite things to do is entice us with things…and draw our hearts far enough from God that he can brainwash us into thinking that doing good things can lead us to salvation. Satan knows that if we follow the command to Love God more than anything else…our love of his son…our gratitude for the gift of salvation will drive us to allow the second most important commandment to rule our lives…prompting our love for others to turn us into a servant of God’s kingdom.

Father…thank you for the reminder that it was your blood that gives me the promise of life and salvation.  Forgive me for the times that I allow a love for things to draw me away from your purpose and will for my life.  Help me to keep my heart focused on you …so I can stay in your perfect will…and do the most possible to further your kingdom and show you love to others.  Amen.