Nothing too profound here.  Just a simple observation, yet with potentially profound implications.  Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, the people of God are faced with two potential objects of worship – either the true God or false gods.  But, the observation is this, worship is either service alone or service with the basis being love.  What?

Throughout the book, we are commanded to love God – specifically, 10 times.  And, the basis of our love for God is his love for us – “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (7:7-8)

But, as it relates to other gods, never do we relate to them out of love.  Instead, we end up “serving” them (19 times throughout the book).

Why is this?  False gods don’t love us.  But, the gods of our creating demand our everything.  So, rather than serving out of pure devotion and love (as we are commanded to do to God), our service becomes slavery.  We become mastered, manipulated, enslaved, and shackled to the relentless master of our own making.  No love, no mutual admiration and affection, just slavery.

But, what gods are we enslaved to?  Tim Keller makes this observation:

“Sin is the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in your relationship and service to God. Sin is seeking to become oneself, to get an identity apart from him. . . . Most people think of sin primarily as “breaking divine rules,” but Kierkegaard knows that the very first of the Ten Commandments is to “have no other gods before me.” So, according to the Bible, the primary way to define sin is not just the doing of bad things, but the making of good things into ultimate things. It is seeking to establish a sense of self by making something else more central to your significance, purpose, and happiness than your relationship to God.”

In other words, what am I turning to in order to find significance, purpose, and happiness?  Is it relationships, sex, ministry, religious approval, looks, charm, cars, career, money, friends, etc…  These can all become our “functional saviors”.  These are the “saviors” that work for us…but ultimately make us work for them.  They don’t love us, they just eventually demand more and more and more.

Instead, love and serve the God who doesn’t demand, but for our joy commands…who doesn’t enslave, but empowers…who doesn’t shackle, but frees…who doesn’t steal joy, but gives it…and who doesn’t control, but compels by His love.

Reflection questions:

• What “functional saviors” are capturing your heart and slowly shackling your feet?
• How is the love of God so much more compelling than your “functional saviors”?