photo #8487447

No Other Gods, No Greater LovesExodus 20:3“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”Mark 12:29-30“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”Our Lord made it very clear that there can be no other gods in our life before Him, therefore we can have no greater love for anything or anyone than our love for Him. He must be first in our heart and He must be first in our love. If not, then there will be a great struggle understanding what He meant when He said in Luke 14:26 “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”This verse does not mean that we “hate” these people or even love them less, it simply means that Jesus Christ has preeminence in our heart over all other loves. When He is the only Lord of our heart, then our love for Him is first and foremost over all other loves.My personal definition of an idol is anyone or anything that we give more devotion to or that we love more than God. When Jesus Christ and our love for Him is first and foremost, all other legitimate and proper interests and affections find their rightful place in our heart and life. No one or nothing can ever hold the status of a god or idol in our heart. In our heart Jesus Christ must rule and reign supreme!“Thou and thou only,first in my heart,High King of Heaven,my treasure thou art.”