Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬, ‭23‬-‭24‬
Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today.
Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

I got to spend some time with my youngest son, Zeke, today doing a devotion on this passage. Zeke’s takeaway in prayer was, “God, thank you that you are always on my side.”

I think Zeke hit on the main point here: If God is on my side, the Creator and Sustainer of all life in the Universe, why would I not serve him with reverence and awe and be thankful?

Seems like, more and more, as our world changes in the US, people are wondering about what matters in life and how we are supposed to live. Some people would prefer to live “life in a bubble”. Only impacting other people‘s lives when they feel like it or the opportunity presents itself right in front of them. Others have a strict set of rules, some of which are found in the Bible and some of which they make up on their own.

The reality is, if we want to honor God, have access to a relationship with him (with all of the benefits that brings), then we must follow him and obey his commands. There is no middle ground. He is a jealous God, a consuming fire.

I asked my youngest son Zeke this question today, “What if I decided that I wanted to have a lot of other women in my life outside of your mom? Do you think your mom would appreciate that?” He said, “No”. I said, “That’s right, because she made a commitment to me to love me and me alone for the rest of her life. If I didn’t give her the same follow through from my commitment, it would not be good.”

God committed to us to be our Provider and our Sustainer in relationship with us — to build into our hearts his goodness. If we allow idols or other things to get in the way of our relationship with God, it seems to me he would be pretty upset. And rightly so!

(I love doing devotions with children because they have the simplest, most honest answers.) If God is always on my side, why would I want to put anything else before him? Who else’s favor do I need to try to attract, outside of God?

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬)

Lord, thank you for this powerful and simple verse that talks about your jealous love for me. This is a healthy jealousy. You want 100% full commitment and in return you give me the unfathomable riches of a relationship with you.