DO NOT BOW

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PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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In the second commandment, we are given a reason why the Lord has prohibited us from engaging in idol worship. The root cause for why the Lord wants his children to steer clear of such a sin comes back to love. 

The Lord our God loves us too much to allow us to deny his truth in exchange for gods of our own making. His love for us is so great he will pursue us and do whatever it takes to call us away from the devastation that follows rejecting the salvation and relationship offered by the Lord. 

Listen again to the command:

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved 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. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

(Exodus 20:4-6 ESV)

Warning

In this command, the Lord expresses his deep and abiding love for his people. At the same time, the Lord is issuing a warning to those who would misconstrue his love for tolerance of rebellion. 

Yes, the Lord loves you more than you can ever comprehend, and as such, he wants what is best for you. And the formation of false gods by your own hands that you then turn around and use to replace the Lord your God is not in keeping with what the Lord knows to be best. 

This challenge to choose between the lesser gods created by those seeking to control and manipulate can be heard being issued by the Lord in many places throughout the message of the Christian Bible. 

In the following passage, we hear the challenge that was given through Joshua, the leader of Israel that followed Moses:

14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

(Joshua 24:14-15 NIV11)

Choose

In this challenge being given by Joshua to the people entering the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, there is a clear choice that must be made. There is no room for pluralism in the covenant between mankind and our creator. 

Paul

A similar challenge is heard in the message of the Apostle Paul’s letter to his Christian friends from Corinth. They were wrestling with the implications and challenges of leaving behind the false gods of their day when they received the following:

20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

(1 Corinthians 10:20-22 NIV11)

Evil

While the so-called gods of the Roman world were nothing more than wood, stone, and metal, the Lord knew that there was and is a real danger involved in playing around with objects and stories that glorify these false deities. 

Additionally, Paul makes it plain that when the people of God entertain the false gods of the surrounding world, we are giving a portion of our honor and worship to evil forces that we know little about. It is best that we separate ourselves from even the appearance of evil. 

Today

Where do you see new gods, false gods, and twisted versions of the biblical god being promoted and embraced in our day?

We may not be tempted to worship carved images in today’s setting, but we are definitely tempted to redefine the message of the Bible to fit into our “modern” way of thinking. 

What dangers do you see swirling around your kids and your grandchildren, that if left unaddressed will lead them to embrace a false version of God?

Fight

While we must fight these pretenders, we must do so with one goal in mind. We will never rid this world of false gods, but we can and must see them for what they are so that we can educate those we love. We cannot sit back and allow the worship of falsehood and lies to consume us and those we love. 

  •   Spend a moment praying for those in your life that are on the front lines of this fight. 
  •   Pray for your church leaders, your teachers, your Christian political leaders. Pray that the Lord will give them courage and wisdom as they confront the forces of evil seen all around us today. 
  •   Pray for the next and newest generations. Pray that they will have the veil lifted off their eyes and that they will see clearly what is right and true. 
  •   Give your time and money to support your church so that these lighthouses can stand for truth in a dark and twisted world. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN


Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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Copyright © 2024 Ryan Laden – All Rights Reserved.

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