Me
versus God
By Karen D’Amore
“Love
the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)
I felt completely alone in that
crowded church, certain the pastor was talking exclusively to me. I winced with
discomfort as the sermon made me feel like I was looking down the barrel of a
pointed finger. “How did he know?” I questioned. The truth is…he (the
pastor) didn’t know…but God did! In a series titled “FIRST the Idolatry of Me: Me versus God”, the pastor focused on the
greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”
(Mark 12:30). He emphasized that, for believers, EVERYTHING hangs on this
truth!
While
further dissection of this Scripture emphasized how it should translate in our
daily lives, conviction welled within my heart, mind and soul. We’re commanded
to love God with every fiber of our being from the inside-out. We’re to love
Him wholeheartedly versus half-heartedly. This means I’m to love Him with ALL of me…not merely some of me!
There’s
no doubt that I love God, but do I love Him consistently… with ALL of me? I’m
ashamed to admit that I don’t! Living in a world saturated with “things”
appealing to our flesh, it seems there’s always something vying for my
affection and competing for my devotion. As of late, that “thing” has been a
renewed passion for running. With this passion gradually transitioning into an
all-consuming obsession, I learned that “runner’s high” isn’t a myth…and I’ve
been flying high on that high!
My
morning convictions quickly waned as I rationalized my passion/obsession as
being “healthy”! But while running after church, when something “snapped” in my
surgically-scarred knee, I was aptly reminded, “You shall have no other
gods/idols before Me”… “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:4-5). With the “snap” resembling symptoms
of previous torn meniscus, I feared that such a tear would terminate my ability
to continue running. Though the “snap” proved superficial, God used the
incident to get my attention, spurring realignment of my priorities and awakening
sincere conviction regarding my displaced devotion.
The
key point in that morning’s sermon was… “Idolatry sneaks in when we exchange ALL for some!” While loving “Me”
more … “Me” became the victor in the
battle of “Me versus God!” With my passion for running being re-prioritized, I’m
prayerfully endeavoring to “love God with ALL
my heart, soul, mind and strength!” and see Him become the victor in the battle
of “Me versus God!”
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What “thing” is hindering you from loving God with ALL of your being?
FURTHER READING:
Married to Dan,
Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns
Salon and a Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility.
