God wants first place in our hearts and lives. When we turn to the God of the Bible as the one true God, we necessarily turn away from all other gods.
“We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20
Maybe you’ve heard someone argue that the various world religions are just different paths to a common destination. God is on the top of a mountain, so to speak, and it doesn’t matter which upward road you take—in the end they all lead to the same place.
The ancient Hebrews tried that approach. At times they worshiped an idol named Baal. Other times they worshipped Asherah. At one point, some of the Hebrews even worshipped a false god by offering child sacrifices.
Each time, God confronted their idolatry and insisted on unrelenting devotion: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
God wants first place in our hearts and lives. When we turn to the God of the Bible as the one true God, we necessarily turn away from all other gods.
We cannot find our fulfillment while worshipping anyone (or anything) other than God. He deserves our first allegiance—before career, before friends, before money, even before family.
It was Jesus Christ who made history’s remarkable claim: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Notice He didn’t say, “I am a truth” or “I am one of many truths.” This utter exclusivity prompted C. S. Lewis to observe the following in his essay “Christian Apologetics”: “Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
God is the one true God. There is no salvation or true satisfaction anywhere else.
How do people define “truth” today? Is truth relative?
Prayer:
God, help me remember to keep you first and foremost in my life. You are the only God and the only place I can find true faith, salvation, and fulfillment.