Are you cheating on God? What’s your ultimate heart’s desire?
A pastor at a large church in Florida admitted to an affair. Shortly after the admission, he resigned. It’s a gut-wrenching story. Lysa Terkeurst and her husband Art Terkeurst walked through an affair and reconciliation to remarriage.
Cheating on a spouse is a serious offense. Rightfully so. When a covenant is broken, there are ramifications. But as I read this story, God spurred another question in my mind: are you cheating on God?
“Frank, are you cheating on me?”
Hey God, nice to talk with you too. Can you not say hey first? Anyway, the question sunk deep into my heart. And I want to ask you the same question.
Are you cheating on God?
Our Ultimate Heart’s Desire
You and I are in a relationship with God. And there are many ways to spend time with God. Our relationship parallels (and exceeds) the one between a husband and a wife. When Tiffani and I exchanged vows, I knew what I signed up for. From that point forward, she wasn’t competing with other women. She was the only woman. I pledged to remain pure and faithful to one woman … for the rest of my life. That’s heavy.
And if vowing faithfulness to one person is heavy, how much more so with God?
When Moses delivered the Ten Commandments to the Israelites in Exodus 20:2-3, the first commandment was, “You will have no other gods before me.”
When God says, “You shall have no other gods before me,” he is also saying, “Don’t cheat on me. Don’t place anything in front of me. Vow to remain faithful to me.” You get the idea?
God is jealous (Exodus 20:4-5). He relentlessly pursues you because he infinitely loves you. And when anything other than God sits at the apex of your desires, values, worth and identity, we are cheating on God, and destruction is certain. You place a weight on something only God can bear.
So, I want to ask you again: Are you cheating on God?
