By Banji Ayoola
We like deceiving ourselves, pretending to believe in the Only One Good Lord while really we hold several other gods high above Him. We go about singing empty praises of Him Whom we disregard in utter contempt and disrespect, as we blindly pursue our selfish goals, turning our back against Him Who alone is our salvation.
In the process, we run into needless problems, impose needless suffering on ourselves, our children, neighbours and environment, spread pain, poison, hatred and disaster all around us, and throw the entire world into avoidable confusion thus diverting ourselves, our children, neighbours and indeed the entire earth from the only true path.
Today, peace and harmony have deserted our world; joy and happiness are elusive; grief and sorrow walk tall everywhere on earth; all as a result of our wilful disobedience of this supreme Commandment of our Creator, Owner and Ruler of all the universes.
Who is that man one earth today that truly has “no other gods but Me!” Where is he? Where is the man who is ready to forget all else, sacrifice everything else, his selfish desires, calculations, demands and stubborn will, his selfish love for money, women, children, friends, this or that person, enjoyment, fame, distinction, power and influence or any other things earthly for the love of the only One Lord, and he is striving upwards towards His Kingdom? Where is he and who is he?
And yet it is the clear demand of the Lord our Creator that we “shall” worship only Him in all our thoughts, words and deeds as the only guarantee for our unhindered peace, joy and happiness here on earth.
Sadly still, we commit unpardonable sacrilege by paying homage to earthly objects, honour which is due only to Him! Hypocritical and blasphemous believers, we reverentially bow before these numerous false gods and yet proclaim our strong and unshakeable faith in the Only One Father and Creator of all.
By violating this Supreme Commandment, we violate the Nine Others and Many Others given by the Good Lord for our joyful experience here on earth, and which jointly express His indivisible Will: “I am the Lord thy God! Thou shalt have no other gods but Me!”
Who is the man on earth today that obeys this most exalted Commandment of his Creator? Where is the man who truly places the Almighty high above all other things in his thoughts, words and deeds, who inwardly reveres the Lord and is ready always to serve His Will with his whole being?
Sadly, the answers to these questions are in the negative. We gloss over this Commandment and the Nine Others received and handed down to us through Moses. Indeed, we trample on This Commandment of the Most High with impunity, and go about with an air of importance in our distorted opinions about our Creator.
The truth is that the man of today has several other gods besides and indeed above the Almighty Father.
We erroneously see idolaters as only the idol worshipers, pagans and non-believers in the predominant religious faiths in our society, deliberately excluding ourselves. We have other gods in shameless violation of This Great Commandment of our Lord. We place these ones high above the Almighty Father. We revere them more than Him. Indeed we worship them and are prepared to go to any length, and even kill, to serve these false gods, pretending to forget that worship and service are due to the Only One LORD.
Anything which man considers uppermost in his life is his god. There are not many men who do not revere money and who have not made its acquisition and that of material wealth their ultimate goal on earth.
We also find many men who are so obsessed to the point of insanity in their lust for power, pleasure, for this or for that person.
Our reverential love for these other gods supersedes, indeed eclipses that for our Creator despite our hypocritical assertion. Shamelessly, we cling to these false gods, these golden calves and hypocritically mouth about our belief in the Almighty Father.
For several millions of years, man has grossly violated This Commandment and in the process, has dragged an entire section of the universe down into the swampy pool of darkness.
Fortunately in the Mercy of the Almighty Father, the earth and indeed the entire Creation, is being purified of this stench in the raging World Judgement.
If we do not wish to perish along with our false gods, we need to examine ourselves honestly, change and bow before the Supreme Will of our Creator!
“I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods but Me!” should indeed serve us as a protection against getting hooked in this our transient world.
Now spirit of man, it is now time for me to sit alone quietly and examine myself once and honestly ask myself: “Who is my God?”
