And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven and when you see the sun, moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve then, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. Deuteronomy 4:19

Several times a year we head to Maui. I love to walk the beaches in the morning with a cup of coffee and have a time of prayer. At times I will see whales slapping the water, manta rays swimming by waving and flying fish just spraying the air with waves of morning hellos. Soon I begin to think about home and the morning with no prayer time on the beach. The Maui sun will no longer greet me and the salt air becomes a past memory. How I will miss this beautiful place and begin to imagine myself just packing up and moving there. But I realize I have spent a lifetime without a beach and have always found happiness.

No, I would not call it worship but I believe it could come close. Maui is an experience God has given me and I love it. But God has given me many experiences in my life and I have always been grateful for each one. I realize it is not Maui I love but the God who has given more than I could ever deserve.

I love my car – it is a white Mustang convertible and runs beautifully! Her name is Lucy and she is the car I have always dreamed of having. Then one day, to my horror, someone at work put a dent in her side and my husband cracked the windshield! My dream car – my poor Lucy is hurt! At this point I have to remember it is just a car – and not an object to be worshipped.

I continually need to remember that only God is worthy of our worship and adoration. Only God – and only God. It is easy for us to love what we see and feel, but God is the giver of those gifts – oceans, sun, and even cars.

Love your gifts – love the experiences and things He gives, but always, always remember the giver of those experiences and things – He is God – the One who loves us, cares for us and gives more than we could ever hope for!
He Alone is to be worshiped!