Last Saturday I conducted my first wedding. In meeting with the bride and groom to plan
their wedding there were several options as far as the vows they would make to
each other. The different options said
the same basic things, but in differing ways.
One of the options included this phrase:
"Will you love
her, comfort her, honor and protect her, and forsaking all others, be faithful
to her as long as you both shall live?"
Those were words for the groom to speak to his bride, and there
was a parallel option for the bride to speak to the groom. Within those words of promise is a phrase that
makes it an exclusive promise, "forsaking
all others." The bride and groom
promise that the faithfulness they have to each other will by its very nature exclude
anyone else from entering into the closeness that they will share with each
other.
For Christians that commitment to forsake all others doesn't
just apply to marriage. More importantly,
it applies to our relationship with God.
In Deuteronomy 5:6-7, God speaks these words in the first of the Ten
Commandments:
"I
am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery. You shall have no other
gods before me."
We are told to "have
no other gods" but it seems as if other gods are continually in front
of us. They may take the form of
relationships, or habits, or pastimes.
They may look completely innocent to people seeing us from the outside,
people who may even applaud our commitment to some aspect of our life. But what those other people don’t see, what
sometimes we don’t even see, is that those other things have a place in our
lives that bumps God from His place.
Sometimes it seems as if dealing with "other gods" is a never-ending struggle. But is it too important of an issue to
ignore. And God is full of grace and mercy. There is never a time when we can’t come to Him,
confess our pursuit of other gods, and take comfort in His embrace.
So take a look at your life, and take a look at the Lord,
and then do what it takes to make sure each is in their proper place. For God alone deserves our praise and glory. All day, every day.
Scripture quotations
are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by
Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.
