Quick Thought

As I was reading today's devotional, one sentence got me thinking. The focus verse is Exodus 20:3-"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The writer took the original Hebrew (which I always find so fascinating) and translated it literally. Here's how it came out: "Never place a less powerful being on top of my faces." It can also be rendered, "Don't ever let any other god get between your face and my face."
I realized that there are so many things in my life that seem to wedge themselves between me and God. They keep me from being able to see His face. I had always thought of other gods as, well, other gods (like the Olympians or the gods of various other religions). I have also heard money referred to as a god as well. However, my newly-found translation of this verse challenges me: "gods" not only references the gods of other religions. It references anything we put between our face and God's face. One god of mine is the homework that keeps me up so late I end up too tired to spend time in prayer or in the word. Another is time spent out with friends, causing me to get home too late to have quiet time before I crash. I also have a god in the form of a to-do list that never seems to end...graduation invitations, thank you notes, room cleaning, beach packing, etc. That's just the tip of the iceberg. I never consciously put my to-do list at deity status, but after thinking about it, that's exactly what I've done. Hopefully, with summer here (finally!!! Just finished my final exam of high school a few moments ago) I can work on developing a good routine to keep my priorities correct. I will also have to be extra careful with that when I go to college next year. I believe I'm up for the challenge and I look forward to taking down this wall of things that prevents me from seeing God (spending time with Him and in the Word) face to face. I encourage you to think about what may be keeping you from your time with the Lord and join with me in demolishing some walls.
PB&J
(aka Peace, Blessings, & Jesus)