You Shall Have No Other Gods

The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.  (http://catechism.cph.org/en/10-commandments.html)

I spent many, many, years as a wife of a U.S. Marine. They have a saying: "God, Country, Corps." That is in proper order. God always comes first. There can be no other gods. There can be no other priorities. When faithfulness to God comes first, faithfulness to our other obligations just falls into place, with the help of God. But, if we cannot be faithful to God, then we will not be faithful to anything or anyone else, either.

As a Marine Corps wife, I spent a lot of time alone raising two sons, as my husband was deployed for far more than half of his career. I had no family near. It was a good thing. Through this time, I learned that there is one I can trust all of the time; that is God. Through this time, I learned that there was one who loved me like no other. God was there when no one else was. I wasn't always thrilled with the way He worked things out; but, I came to know and trust that no matter how He was working them out; they were being worked out for the good.

The best thing we can do for our loved ones, for our country, for our world, is to fear, love and trust God above all things and to Him first and to follow in the way He would have us go. His plan is perfect for us; ours is not.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Malachi 2 - Keeping the Covenant; Semper Fi

  "Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?" (Mal 2:10 NIV)
     Good question, hey?! Malachi is speaking specifically regarding divorce. Why would we break the covenant we have with the one whom we have committed to share our whole lives with here on earth? Malachi reminds us that one of the issues in many divorces is that one partner in that commitment may strive to keep the covenant that has been made with the one true God; while the other serves another or, maybe, many false gods. Sometimes (often) the one who worshipped God will turn away from him. More and more often, the tension, caused by not having God in the relationship, will bring the union to an end. If we truly intend to keep our covenant of marriage then it is a very good thing to base that covenant on the covenant that God has made with us. It is a good thing to have the marriage blessed; but, it is also imperative that we trust God for the blessing. If we do not live in the covenant we have with God, it is going to be pretty rough going trying to keep our covenant with another human being.
     It reminds me of a motto the U.S. Marine Corps has been fond of: "God, Country, Corps." That might sound trite to some. But, it is not. When someone commits to the armed services, it is much like a marriage. It is a 24/7 and 100% commitment. However, in order to keep the commitment to country and Corps, it should be recognized that God must come first in our lives. He will help us keep our commitments. (Of course, this motto was used much a few decades ago. They may have done away with it, by now, to be politically correct.)
     Semper Fi - Always Faithful - is another U.S. Marine Corps motto. May God grant that we should always be faithful to Him above all others as well as to those whom we have committed to share our lives with here on earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J