Timeless KingdomSample

From the earliest days of the nation of Israel, God has declared that He would not share His position with another. Etched into the Ten Commandments, He called us to have no other god before Him. And he wasn’t just talking about supernatural deities! We human beings have an uncanny knack for turning just about anything into a god—money, sex, celebrity, food, and whatever else we can imagine. Perhaps the most significant competitor for God’s supreme place in our lives isn’t something else; it’s in ourselves. Our pride wants to shove God off His throne and take up that spot to become the gods of our own lives. Power and success often feed this pride.

Case in point: Herod Agrippa I, who was the King of Judea when the early church was just getting started. One day, following a trade dispute, Agrippa gave a speech, and the people praised his oratory skills as if he were a god, not a man. But rather than correcting the crowds and giving glory to the Lord, Agrippa soaked it up. As a result, an angel killed him on the spot. Now, you might think, That’s a crazy story! But the truth is, even if they’re not that extreme, there are consequences when we put ourselves above God.

So today, let’s choose to be people who spend our lives in praise and pursuit of our heavenly Father above all else—even ourselves!