Allegiance
Deuteronomy Chapters 12 and 13 Click here to read
There are few things more clear in scripture, and less clear in our own thinking, than the importance of not worshiping other gods—Chapters 12 and 13 repeat it at length.
It’s easy for us to think it’s not an issue any more, since very few people take seriously anything else they directly identify as a god. We don’t have carved idols around town to offer sacrifices, and the only remaining temples to pagan gods are historical curiosities, not centers of worship.
But not calling something a god isn’t quite the same as not worshiping it as a god. And not calling something worship is not quite the same as not worshiping.
Worship is a lot of things. It’s adoration, it’s praise, it’s words and actions, but ultimately it’s allegiance.
What is our highest priority for our time?
What is our highest priority for spending money?
What values do we judge other values by?
What values win out when options look equally appealing or unappealing?
What are we seriously willing to sacrifice for?
What would cause internal conflict if our faith demanded we give it up?
Those are the other gods we need to avoid worshiping.
Part of the challenge is that many of them are good things in themselves, and things that don’t conflict with our Christian worship (at least much of the time).
One of the challenges to living in a country where many core societal values were shaped by Christianity is that it’s easy to ignore the times where society’s values conflict with the values God would have us live by. There may be no conflict 90 percent of the time—but that 10 percent when there is can cause a lot of trouble.
We often serve other interests than God: our employer, our community, our country—even our church and family. But we have to always stay alert that serving things that are merely good doesn’t limit our ultimate allegiance to what is perfect.