“You shall have no other gods before me.” —Exodus 20:3
“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” —Psalm 51:4
“Do you find that other parts of the world are as troubled as we are?” She asked the question, knowing I had just returned from a trip to Eastern Europe.
It’s impossible to escape the harsh realities of our world. War, crime, poverty, corruption, greed, power, immorality, and injustice are experienced globally. My friends in Ukraine, Russia, and Armenia suffer because of war. We desire to point the finger at anyone to accuse as the guilty party. I get it.
As we face mid-term elections, we are too familiar with the resentment and accusatory allegations played 24/7 on media commercials. We don’t like our situation, and it’s more convenient for us to find someone—anyone—to blame for our problems.
“Blame casting” always distracts us from looking within.
The mistake we make is we want to ask: WHO, rather than WHY?
“Who’s responsible for this mess we’re in?” “If we can just remove him or her from office, we can rid ourselves of the problem.”
But is it possible that we’re a part of the problem? We will never discover the answer to this unless we are willing to look within.
When David confronts his problem of murder and adultery, he refuses to cast the blame.
“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” —Psalm 51:4
For David, self-indulgence had become his “god.” His desire for Bathsheba was more important than his desire for GOD. And when our “god” becomes more important than the One, True, and Living GOD, we will always find creative ways to justify our actions.
Our world’s problems are intricately related to our disconnection from God. But God has not left us. Have we left God?
The first Commandment reminds us: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Who’s your “god”?
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