Sharing! We instruct children to do it.  And it is universally hailed as a virtue.  We practice it in whole new ways through the internet.  Sharing puts the ‘social’ in social media.  Who but the most selfish would not agree that ‘sharing’ is what the best of us do.   But should everything really be shared?

Sharing a precious toy with a peevish, visiting child may lead to destruction. Sharing passwords could empty your bank account and ruin your credit.   Sharing Netflix credentials will soon result in extra charges on your bill.  Sharing pictures of your ongoing vacation may invite unwanted attention.  Sharing a confidence destroys relationships and reputations.  Sharing unasked for opinions produces unpredictable and unpleasant reactions.  And sharing physical, emotional, relational intimacy with someone who belongs to another will create incalculable sorrow for generations of your families.

Some things are clearly non-sharable.   As virtuous as sharing can be, the Bible reminds us that many things are not to be shared.   Chief among these is God’s glory.   In the Ten Commandments God establishes a picture of life as a Christian.   These commandments reflect God’s nature and character.  And they reveal what we should desire and reflect as we love him with our heart, mind, soul, and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves.

These commandments were given to a people who had been set free.  They are for freedmen in Christ, not slaves to sin.  They are not a way to redemption.  But they are the ways of the redeemed.   They speak to our thought lives, our speech, and our deeds.  And the first and foundational commandment is,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before me.”

Exodus 20:2-3

God shares with us grace upon grace.  He has not withheld from us even his Only Son but gave him up for us in order to graciously give us all things in him.   But there are some things God has not and will never share.  He is a jealous God.  But he has no improper jealousy.  We are his.  He has redeemed us.  We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.  And he permits no interlopers for our affections.  He tolerates no other claimants to our love, our worship, or our trust.   And it is this first and foremost commandment that forms the foundation for all the rest.

As with each of the commandments, however, this first simple commandment expresses both positive requirement and negative prohibition.  The Westminster Shorter Catechism expresses these succinctly.

46. What is required in the first commandment? 

The first commandment requires us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify Him accordingly.

47. What is forbidden in the first commandment? 

The first commandment forbids the denying, or not worshipping and glorifying, the true God as God, and our God; and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to Him alone.

Westminster Shorter Catechism, Questions 46-47

Perhaps you have no carved idols in your home that you love, serve, or trust instead of the Lord God.   But are there things that you love, serve, and trust that keep you from knowing and acknowledging God as the only true God?   Are there people, activities, or circumstances that routinely prevent you from worshipping Him?   Or are there other affections or confidences vying for your love for Him?  

While God has shared with us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, he will never share his glory.  Nor will he claim less than all your love for him — love with heart, soul, mind and strength.  How deep and wide is your love, trust, service, and worship for this God who alone is the true and loving God?  Have you put other things before Him?   Have you brought other ‘gods’ into your relationship with Him?

Join us as we examine the First Commandment in Exodus 20:3 and consider the one thing God never shares and what that requires and forbids in our lives.  We meet on the square in Pottsville, right next to historic Potts’ Inn at 10:30 am for worship.  Get directions here or contact us for more info.  Or join us on Facebook Live @PottsvilleARP or YouTube.