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Though the video above is humorous, it strikes a convicting chord because it points out our tendency to forget and marginalize God. We fill our lives with so many people, so many events, and so many things that we have no time left over for God. Even for those of us in full time ministry, it is a constant battle to not substitute the work of God for actually spending time with God. Even so, the Scripture is very pointed on how God feels about “competitors.” Please consider the following verses:

Deuteronomy 4:23-24
23 “So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you. 24 “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Yahweh is not like a little flame which is content to burn it’s little share. No! He is a consuming fire. He will not be content to be one of our gods. If we are his then we must worship him wholeheartedly.

Deuteronomy 10:17, 20-21
17 “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe…20 “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. 21 “He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.

I love verse 17. It is like a boxer being announced. “And in the blue corner weighing in at infinity is Yahweh, the God of Gods, the Lord of lords, …” We are to fear him, serve him, and cling to him. His is our God, not our friend who we spend time with if we have a few minutes leftover at the end of the day. No! Yahweh is our praise, he is to consume our thoughts and lives. In fact, all of the other aspects of our lives or to be arranged based on our relationship to him. God must be first.

Job 8:11-14
11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the rushes grow without water? 12 “While it is still green and not cut down, Yet it withers before any other plant. 13 “So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish, 14 Whose confidence is fragile, And whose trust a spider’s web.

When we forget God, it is like a plant forgetting water. He is our sustainer, our provider, the one to whom we petition for daily bread. We must not allow the machinations of this present evil age to suck our passion for God from us. The only way to survive and thrive is to remember him, spend time with him, seek after him, with all our being.

Mark 12:28-30
28  One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’

If I were to summarize this creed of Jesus (this most important of commands) it would sound like this: “Listen up! Yahweh our God is the only one who is God. You must love Yahweh with everything.” Every other action and thought is to have a secondary place compared with our God. He is our lifelong priority. Whether it is day or night, summer or winter; whether we are at work or at home, with our family or all alone, Yahweh our God is the one to whom we must always give the preeminent position of our entire heart, soul, mind and strength.