God + Nothing

Day 42:  Genesis/Psalm 42, Judges 18

I'm going to go back a little bit to Sunday's reading in Judges about Samson and Delilah and mix it up with Judges 18.

When Delilah was begging Samson to tell her the secret of his strength he finally gave in.  He told her that he was a Nazarite to God since birth and that the secret to his strength was his hair.   In Samson's mind I guess it was God + hair.

In Judges 18 men from the tribe of Dan came to the home of Micah and find a Levite priest there who is acting as his personal priest inquiring of God on Micah's behalf.  But in the house there are multiple idol images that Micah and the Levite have incorporated into their worship of God.  It's God + the idols.

But God has never shared the stage well.  The olympics are going on right now and I just watched USA win it's first ever medal in the Luge.  The American will be sharing the stage with two others.  God doesn't do silver and bronze.  It's Gold and it's all God's.

It is true that Samson did lose his strength when his hair was cut but his strength came from God - not his hair.  His hair was the visible sign of his covenant with God but God was the source.  And Micah's priest was seeking to worship God through the idols that they had made.  But idols are nothing.  God is everything.

Mankind has an inherent problem with trying to always do God and... but it has always been God only.  We try to get to God by church attendance or giving or service as though salvation comes through God + our effort or good works.  We talk about the Christian life at times in terms of God + our hard work.  We will say super-spiritual things like, pray as though it all depends on God, work as though it all depends on you.  We think God + the perfect spouse (our one true love) will gain us a perfect life.  God + a good job will meet our financial needs.  God + a healthy dose of                          will get us what we want.  God + our dreams will help us achieve greater things.

But the reality is that it is God + nothing.  He doesn't want to share the stage.  And the problem with Samson and Micah is the same problem we struggle with we try to edge ourselves or something/someone else on the podium with God and it doesn't work.

If you want a spouse who will love you and cherish you and build you up seek God only.
If you want a career that will fulfill you and meet your needs seek God only.
If you want to have a life of purpose and possibilities seek God only.
If you want to experience real life seek God only.

It's not God + spouse.  God + career or God + life.  It's just God.  If you want to experience all that God has for you in this life and the life to come it's God. Only.

Seek FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well.  Matthew 6:33

Your life and my life and this life are about one thing, God only.  When we figure that out He'll begin to work in our lives like we never dreamed.  What do you need to get rid of so it's God only in your life?