Ten Core Values for the christian life (2)

Come, let us bow down and worship Him; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker [Psalm 95:6].

Let's continue this blog series with the second commandment: You shall not make any idols and you shall not bow down to them or worship them (Exodus 20:4-5).

That's the second commandment in a nutshell. As we have seen in the previous post the first commandment is about not having other gods before Him. The second commandment specifies this in more detail: don't make images of other gods (idols) and don't worship them.

I truly believe the second commandment is at its core all about worship. It is a call to worship and bow down to no one else but God alone. Now, if all is well, Christians do not worship or bow down to idols (although we might never have missed an episode of Idols on TV). Yet, I have met believers who were more devoted to their church, their denomination, their dogma's and doctrines, or their preachers and worship bands, than to God!

Which brings us to a realistic and probing question. What would be left of our modern-day Christianity when all is taken away: the buildings, the meetings, the money, the power, the titles, the theology, the music, and the concerts? What would be left?

We might find ourselves on our knees again, without anything. Just us, on the floor… waiting for God to speak, waiting for Him to come. After more than two thousand years of Christianity, we might find ourselves bowing down again, empty-handed, with nothing but our time and lives to give Him.

Jesus prophesied that the time was coming when by the power of God’s Spirit people would worship the Father as He really is, offering Him the true worship He so desires. Have you ever wondered what true worship would be like? It begins where idolatry ends.

👉The core value I have attached to the second commandment is WORSHIP.

Our gratefulness and devotion towards God express themselves in a lifestyle of worship.

🕂🕂🕂🕂🕂

For more on this topic, read my book 'True Worshipers' (Answering the Father's call for a lifestyle of pure devotion). The book is available on Amazon in your country.

Ten Core Values for the christian life (1)

'Going from commandment to core value is, in essence, going from theory to application', I wrote in my previous blog.

If you have read one or more of my books in the series about the Ten Commandments you will have noticed that the books are not about what we can or cannot do, but about what the Holy Spirit wants to do through us.

So, let's start with the first commandment: You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3).

The first commandment is more than just a rule, a law, a decree, or even a mere prohibition. In essence, it is a call to holiness. My free interpretation comes down to ‘No compromise’, which is quite radical in a world full of compromises, choices, and alternatives.

We want it all and we can have it all, but in the process we are becoming more and more disoriented and less and less focused. Major confusion, whether mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually, is the disease of our time.

As Christians, we should never mix our faith in God with the enticements of this world. This is dangerous ground… unstable ground and the Bible warns us repeatedly not to go that way. ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ means much more than just refraining from worshiping idols. Of course, we have no other gods besides the Lord in our lives, if all is well.

But let’s be honest here; how big is the influence of the world in our lives? Are we refusing to let the world corrupt us? It seems this evil world is closing in on us, which can be quite a frightening feeling. All the more reason to stick with Jesus! The first commandment is therefore a call for undivided loyalty towards the Lord.

👉The core value I have attached to the first commandment is LOYALTY.

Our loyalty is to God alone and we will not be distracted by the concerns of this world. 

🕂🕂🕂🕂🕂

For more on this topic, read my book 'No other gods' (Why undivided loyalty to the One and only living God matters in these days). The book is available on Amazon in your country.