Gems from the Psalms (4)

The Only True God

Neville Turley

To you alone, O Lord, to you alone, and not to us, must glory be given because of your constant love and faithfulness.  Psalm 115:1 (GNB)

Our verse for the day is part of a hymn of praise contrasting the power of the living God to the ineffectiveness of man-made idols revered by others. It is an exhortation to the people of God reminding them that he is the only true God and only to him should glory be given.

There is a valuable lesson here for all of us. Believers have no problems rejecting pagan gods and idols worshipped by other faiths. However, belief in one's own self-importance and hero worship of others are very real human faults.

We need to guard against glorifying ourselves or others. It is a very real danger for our lifestyles have become hectic and self-centred. We do not take time to praise and honour God which should always be our first priority.

The idols that we turn to may not be the graven images made from silver and gold as described by the psalmist (v 4). The abuse of electronic images too can lead us astray.

Our Father is the Almighty One, the Sovereign King of heaven and earth. He is the rock to whom we must cling at all times – the only true God.

God grants us many blessings to enjoy in life, but we must never allow any one of those blessings to obsess us to such an extent that it dominates our existence, because there is only one true God.

Prayer: Almighty God, you are the rock of my salvation. Empower me under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead a life pleasing to you. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reign supreme, now and forever. Amen.