The Shema . . .

All too often we Christians believe we are "following" Jesus fairly well, but the dweeb and this broken world he "works" in can easily lead us astray. We must search our hearts often and long with God's help to "weed" out any falsehood and deception. There are many "gods" which can become the object of our "worship", and they do so very subtly . . . . materialism, worldly comfort, pleasures that only satisfy momentarily.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Exodus 20:4-6 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 5:8-10 8 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 32:15-17

15 Jeshurun [a] grew fat and kicked; [comfortable and arrogant]
filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. [prideful and self sufficient]
He abandoned the God who made him [turned away from the One who loved him]
and rejected the Rock his Savior.

16 They made him jealous with their foreign gods [all the pleasures and comforts of this world]
and angered him with their detestable idols.[icons and images and personalities of this world]

17 They sacrificed to demons, which are not God— [the things of this world]
gods they had not known,
gods that recently appeared,
gods your fathers did not fear.
Footnotes:

1. Deuteronomy 32:15 Jeshurun means the upright one , that is, Israel . . . [us].



Psalm 18:2

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.


Selah, Amen, Shalom . . .