| "It means to only have one God, which is
| |
| | money and the things that can take over
|
| God. When we find something, we don't go
| |
| | your life," adds Will, 9.It's the love of
|
| gaga over it. We still pray to God and
| |
| | money that is the root of many kinds of
|
| not to the new thing," says Ashley,
| |
| | evil, the Apostle Paul wrote. There's
|
| 11.For a fuller understanding of "gaga,"
| |
| | nothing inherently evil about money, but
|
| let's go to Cory, 11: "When the
| |
| | loving it will lead you into many forms
|
| commandment says to have no other gods
| |
| | of evil. When the love of it takes over,
|
| 'before Me,' it means to love something
| |
| | everything is seen through the eyes of
|
| more than God."Lee, 8, gets specific:
| |
| | money.My good friend Tony Carnes has
|
| "You should worship God instead of your
| |
| | written a book on idolatry. He's an
|
| bike, Nintendo, computer or TV. You
| |
| | accomplished author and scholar. I've
|
| should read the Bible more."The average
| |
| | asked him to share a few thoughts. Here's
|
| American watches more than four hours of
| |
| | Tony:"An idol is anything or anyone other
|
| television a day. Lee, do you mean I
| |
| | than God that we allow to drive our
|
| shouldn't veg out in front of the tube
| |
| | lives. Take that popular idolatry, money
|
| for 28 hours a week? After all, I don't
| |
| | or wealth. God cherishes every human
|
| actually worship. I spend at least two
| |
| | being, but when you put making money
|
| hours a week in church on Sunday. Does
| |
| | before God, you redivide your world so
|
| God want more?Yes, says Haley, 11: "The
| |
| | that some people get pushed aside. You
|
| first commandment means don't spend more
| |
| | gravitate toward friendships with people
|
| time on anything than God. God is more
| |
| | who have money and avoid 'the losers' --
|
| important than TV or radio."The first
| |
| | the working class, the poor and the
|
| commandment is starting to get too
| |
| | unemployed."Kids know quickly when an
|
| personal. Lynden, 9, illustrates: "It
| |
| | idol is controlling you. Parents and
|
| means like not to say, 'Um, sorry, Jesus.
| |
| | relatives are the sunshine of their
|
| My friends are coming over in about 10
| |
| | lives. When your idol directs your life's
|
| minutes.' I don't spend time with him in
| |
| | light away from them, they immediately
|
| those 10 minutes."Even in a fast-paced
| |
| | notice and start to wilt."Idols, ancient
|
| world, we always seem to make time for
| |
| | or modern, always result in frustration,
|
| important relationships. For example,
| |
| | dissolution and ultimately despair.
|
| people who have good marriages order
| |
| | People and things can never fill the
|
| their lives so that they spend time with
| |
| | longing God put in our heart for an
|
| each other. To put it simply, God wants
| |
| | intimate love relationship with him and
|
| to be our first love."God is kind of
| |
| | true community with his people as they
|
| jealous and also the one and only true
| |
| | gather under his headship.Think about
|
| God," says Amber, 12. When God is
| |
| | this: If God isn't our first love, life
|
| jealous, it's a good kind of jealousy. We
| |
| | will become an endless scramble to fill
|
| usually think of jealousy as being small
| |
| | the emptiness we sense.Memorize this
|
| and petty. God's jealousy is big and
| |
| | truth: "You shall have no other gods
|
| benevolent. He wants our whole heart
| |
| | before Me" (Deuteronomy 5:7).Ask this
|
| because only his love can bring us into a
| |
| | question: Is there anything or anyone in
|
| deeper, larger place where he is our all
| |
| | your life whom you love more than
|
| in all."The first commandment means
| |
| | God?Carey Kinsolving is a syndicated
|
| having no god but Jesus. For example, a
| |
| | columnist, producer, author, speaker and
|
| lot of people mistake money for a god,"
| |
| | website developer.
|
| says Chris, 10. "It means don't worship
| |
| |
|
