September 7, 2025 Devo

Who or what is your “god?” The answer to that lies in a few simple questions. “What is the singular, most important thing in your life?” Notice I said what IS, not what you think OUGHT to be. “Who or what DEFINES you?” In other words, who or what do you look to as the source of your value or worth? Here’s a tough one. “What lies at the CENTER of your heart?” The reason these questions become vital is that it’s not unusual for God to simply become “a god” in our lives rather than “The God” in our lives. Most of us have some things we care deeply about that are GOOD things. But if we’re not careful, those things can move to The Throne of our hearts.
Like our jobs. I love what I do. I believe my work to be important, and I want to be the best at it that I can be. And even though I work FOR God, my job is not my god. It’s not who I am. But honestly, there was a time when being a pastor DID become my god. I defined myself by my career and measured my worth by my performance. It’s an easy trap to slip into. Maybe some of you can relate to this.
Others of us may have hobbies or sports that become our god. We live for the feeling of accomplishment it gives us. Some of us, if we’re honest, have made a person or being a part of a group our god. We define ourselves by their acceptance. We measure our worth by how they feel about us. We do this with friends, romantic interests, spouses, kids, and even parents. To love them and value them is good. To make them your ultimate reason for living, or the measurement of your value, is to make them your god. Some of us have crossed that line.
Our verse reminds us today that there is only One King. He is the Great God who is above all other gods. Our jobs and our hobbies and those people who are in our lives are wonderful gifts and things we ought to cherish and give attention to. But we can never let those things sit on The Throne of our hearts. Because the minute we begin to make them the center of our lives and define ourselves by our performance or the opinions of other people, we give them more power than they should have. They can add a lot of joy and fulfillment to our lives, but there is only room for One King.
Define yourself by your job, and you’ll become a workaholic with an empty soul. Define yourself by the opinions of others, and you’ll become a slave to their rollercoaster ride of “love you today, hate you tomorrow.” Let the Great God define you. You are His Child, made in His Image, to live for His Purposes. Let the other things in your life have places of importance, but don’t let them have your soul. Save The Throne of your heart for The King. He’s the Only One fit to rule! That’s God’s Word for you today.