A Jealous God 

   “For the Lord your God is a devouring flame, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4: 24) 

   I’ve known people who have welcomed God into their lives, seemingly full of faith and love of the Lord.  Yet, after a while, maybe a few years, it’s as if they had never heard of God.  They have returned to the sinful ways of the past.  What happened, how did they lose what they had so happily found?  They failed to fill their lives with God, so Satan found an emptiness that was all too easy to fill.

   I’ve known others who do a lot of good in the world.  They give of their time and talents to help other people.  They treat others with respect and acceptance, never questioning what their lifestyle might entail; after all, we all have to live as we deem appropriate.  They are “good people”, but the good they do is done for earthly reasons, God rarely, if ever, enters the picture.  Not only are they not full of God, but He is also pretty much irrelevant to them.  Their heart and soul is fertile ground for the evil one.

   Our God is a jealous God.  He does not want and will not accept a piece of our heart and soul; He wants it all.  If we are not willing to fill ourselves with Him and His will, we are not worthy of His love.  The good we do in this world is of no eternal value unless it is done out of love for God, giving Him all the glory.  The meditation prayer of St. Francis of Assisi is quite simple; “My God and my all!”  If we are to belong fully to God, we must join Francis in that refrain.