For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Exodus 34:14

We’ve been a multiple dog house for most of my boys’ lives. We started out with one, but the boys would have fist fights over whose bed the dog slept in, so she got a friend, since then we’ve been a two dog house and are currently breaking in our newest little guy. The interesting thing about dogs is that when they live outside, they’re fun, but you don’t really get to know them. When they live in the house with you, you come to realize the depth of their personalities and emotions. They each have things they enjoy…. for one it’s tug-of-war, for another, it’s fetch… but one thing that they all seem to have in common is jealousy. They have each displayed jealousy over toys, sitting closest to their “person,” treats, and myriad other things. They have placed importance on certain things, and they will fight to keep “their” stuff in their possession. This jealousy is funny to watch as they protect the object of their affection with watchful eyes, and if the other pup gains control of it, they are clearly unhappy.

There are many adjectives that seem to fit the personality of God: creator, holy, just, loving, you could continue for a very long time listing words that describe the character of God that we understand. Jealous is a word that doesn’t quickly come to mind, but we see in Exodus 34 that God describes Himself as jealous. Jealousy has a negative connotation when thought of from a human standpoint, but when we consider jealous as a descriptor of God, the meaning changes slightly. There are a few definitions of the word jealous: feeling or showing envy; feeling or showing suspicion; fiercely protective of one’s rights; and (of God) demanding faithfulness and exclusive worship. It is this last definition that logically fits our God. In His perfection, He desires that we worship Him, and Him alone, and do so faithfully.

It was strange for me to consider God as a jealous God… but when you think about it, of course He is. He created our world, our universe, gave us the gift of free will, to be able to choose whether or not to serve Him, but also sacrificed His own son to redeem us and give us the opportunity to come into a right relationship with Him, of course, He’s jealous for us. We were created for one reason: for God’s glory. We are to bring Him glory and show His glory:

Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43:7

Think of something you worked hard for, put effort and creative energy into… now imagine someone else having control of that creation, and using it for purposes far different than the one you had in mind when you created it. This is no different than how God feels when we allow the world to take our attention away from Him. When we focus our energy and time on meaningless activities when we should be worshipping our Creator, it makes sense that He regards us with what would be correctly defined as jealousy.

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine Isaiah 43:1

It’s so easy for us to forget to whom we belong. We are His, created for His pleasure, to bring Him glory, He redeemed us, saved us, and sanctifies us. He does these things because He loves us, and desires us to show love to Him. And the best part is, what he expects from us does not cost us anything, it actually feels natural, because that’s why were created. We are the ones who benefit the most from fulfilling our purpose. We tend to find excuses for our failures, but in reality, we’re just placing other “little g” gods in front of the God we should be serving. God desires and deserves to have the highest place in our lives.

Service to Him should come before anything else. Sometimes that means planning our lives around our service to Him. Are you willing to put Him before worldly pursuits, or does He get the time and effort you have leftover after you’ve done the things that you find important? Is He high on your list of priorities or an afterthought if you have time?

Try Him. Surrender yourself to His leading and His service and see if it isn’t far and away better than any worldly pursuit you could even consider. Go all in… Give Him the place in your life He so richly deserves and see if He doesn’t rain down blessings in your life. I am His and He is mine…