God vs. gods (1 John 2:15–27)

Before you read either 1 John 2:15–27 or this devotion, pray that the Holy Spirit reveal truth and wisdom through your time today.

There is a battle front that is all too close to individuals who follow Christ. Each and every day this battleground is well trod with conflicting view points. This epic war has little to do with activity and is more about attitude. God and the idols of this world are at war for the ultimate victory, your heart.

The gods of this world lure and entice us by distorting what was meant to be a gift and a blessing. Many of the things God created have become idols of worship themselves. For example the world in it’s physical nature and humanity is one of those blessings but it often gets twisted to becoming an idol.

Food is a wonderful present from our Lord but can quickly become the lord of our hearts. The god of food promised fulfilling joy, but we come up empty. Psalms 16:5 “The Lord is my portion.” The god of money has conjured up a story of sports cars, luxurious houses and endless happiness but it has become our slave driver and our hearts are still found empty. Philippians 4:19 “My God will supply everything that you need according to his riches.” You quickly fell head over heels with the god of romance and you’re in love with love. Soon you learned that no person other than Christ deserves that much space of your heart.

God is a jealous God. He doesn’t want to share your devotion with the things He created. When the gods of this world whisper their cunning lies remind them of 1 John 2:17 “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”