not just any god

Joshua 23:7b do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

I was just reminded of what we read in Exodus and other scriptures of Deuteronomy and the Gospels. Joshua is making the point that the same God who cleared the path and was victorious over the enemies of Israel….. did so, when Israel was faithful to only God. He was reminding them to NEVER allow ‘other gods’ to weasel their way into the tribe. I though about the picture of the unleavened bread….where even a little yeast infects the entire batch. He warned the Israelites that God’s anger could be directed at them and that “the LORD's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."

I had the opportunity to have a Jehovah’s Witness, a guy named Jim, come in and talk to me Saturday. Nice guy, but he would have me believe that Jesus and God weren’t the same….that I was a “Trinitarian” for believing that they were…and he set out to disprove this fact to me. But I directed him to scripture where God exalted Jesus, where Jesus claimed to be God. His argument was that Greek articles aren’t ‘direct’ and therefore what we read in John 1:1 should read “and the word was with God and the word was
a god”. Apparently although the JWs claim to be monotheistic….God is somehow okay with a god…sharing top billing. Not consistent, even for JWs or us, nor was it consistent for the Israelites. God will not share his glory.

Just so you know…Jim has promised to return, so be praying for him and me.