Self-Gods.

 Individuality. God has made each of us unique. Even identical twins have different thoughts from one another, though physically they may the same. We are all unique to ourselves for a purpose. We each have our own path to walk with God. We are not supposed to lust after the things others possess. God has made us unique for a reason and it's for His glory- not our own. You don't like the way you look- you were born with features the world doesn't consider acceptable to their standards, your intelligence doesn't match that of others, your personality is skewed to the norm and you don't quite fit in so that is makes life difficult in many ways, I could go on and on. There are many who do not find life easy in many ways. Many do things to make themselves more acceptable to their peers and colleagues, things that don't come completely natural to themselves, yet they long so much to fit in they try desperately to change who they uniquely are.  

If we are to live for GOD'S GLORY and not our own why are we so incredibly caught up in trying to fit in? God is to be our constant beacon, the light to which we look for all aspects of our lives. Is it God who wants us to own the latest style? Is it God who wants us to find favor in the eyes of those around us? Is it God who tells us that we need to be world like, to be liked by the world or more specifically the people in the world? Are we to desire acceptance and lament our inability to get that acceptance? How many young men and women long to attract the attention of potential marriage partners- that true love that is like no other? Is it wrong to desire to be married? It is if it's not going to be a marriage to God's glory. God does not have marriage in mind for all, but the world dictates this is the majority accepted ideal of our lives- marriage, family, jobs, careers, and so on. The world has its plan and when we aren't a part of that plan we mourn our not being on the path to that plan. We feel rejected, we feel sad, depressed, anxious, and more because our lives haven't gone according to how we've perceived they should. We need to ask ourselves though, if the world's ideal path is God's, and if we answer that it is, then we need to read God's word which tells us otherwise. God's path is for us to seek HIS glory, HIS path and allow HIM to lead us. If we can't say that we are living to glorify God in all we do, but rather to satisfy ourselves and our world path ideas, then we need to fall to our knees and seek God FIRST in our lives- not second. We aren't told that we are to have no other gods but ourselves and God, we are told we are to have no other gods but GOD.  NO other gods… not even the self-god we can so easily possess and seems to be an innate part of us all. The self-god is Satan's greatest tool and he knows how to use that tool to his pleasing. He knows how to play each and every one of us- building on our self-god- whether it's through pride, or self-hate, self-love or self-degradation… whichever self-god we are in need of on any given day- Satan will urge that upon us just so long as we do not take our minds off ourselves. Satan does not want us to put our minds on GOD, and will stop at nothing to that end.

May God help us to glorify HIM and seek HIM first, and serve Him as our ONLY God and not try to take His place or let any other take His place in our lives.  All through the love, the grace, the mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever!!!!!!! Amen!

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March 5, 1901

“The Keeping of the Commandments. The First Commandment” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 78, 10, p. 152

“I AM the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:2, 3. 

The second of the three forms under which “the world” is embraced, and idolatry manifested, is— 

“The lust of the eyes.” 

The lust of the eyes can be summed up in one word, vanity; and vanity is simply love of display. Something is put on ourselves, or that which is ours, merely for display, to attract the attention and excite the lust of the eyes of others, and cause them to envy our condition.

Further, on our own part, this idolatry is indulged in our seeing something that somebody else has, and not being content until we have imitated him by obtaining for ourselves a like thing. 

That which we see with others may be perfectly proper, and strictly becoming, to them; yet, when imitated by us, it may be altogether improper, and unbecoming in itself, besides our indulging idolatry in the use of it. Because, if our eyes had not seen that particular thing, no thought of our own, and no need of our life, would ever have suggested that we should have it. The only reason of our having it being solely that our eyes saw it in possession of some other one, the possession of it by us is sheer idolatry in the lust of the eyes. 

This principle of idolatry is expressed in the one word, the worldly word, “fashion.” The world spends time in inventing particular styles of dress, or whatever else may be a part of the living. The world is expected to follow, and expects to follow, the fashion set by the world. 

But we are studying how to serve God. We are studying how to be separate from the world; how to be “not of the world;” how to be completely divorced from the love of the world, or of the things that are in the world. And in this we are studying how to be separated from this lust of the eyes which follows the world, which accepts the dictates of the world, and which itself is “of the world.”

God has made no two persons alike. He has made each person with characteristics which single him out distinctly from all others in the universe. This is for a purpose. We are created for the glory of God; that is, the purpose of our creation is that each one, in the characteristics which make him himself alone, distinct from all others in the universe, shall be a means of making God manifest,—of reflecting a ray of the light of God, in a way that no other can possibly do, that by each one God shall be manifested as not by any other one. And, in order that this shall be so, it is essential that each one shall be joined only to God, and this with all his heart, and all his soul, and all his mind, and all his strength—the whole being. 

This principle is expressed in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. When the master took his journey into a far country, and delivered to his servants his goods,—to one five talents, to another two, and to another one, he gave “to every man according to his several [individual; not common to two or more; separate, particular] ability.” And from the master, at His returning and reckoning, each one receives according as he has used the gift of God, according to this “several ability.” 

No one is to use, indeed no one can use, this gift of God in imitation of others. To attempt to use it in imitation of others is to separate from God, and put others in His place; it is to have other gods before the Lord; it is idolatry. 

There are desires of the flesh which are not lusts of the flesh, in the wrong sense. While we are in this world, it will be necessary for us to eat and to drink—not to make a god of the belly, not for the satisfaction of appetite, not for the lust of the flesh, but for the glory of God. Those who serve God in the keeping of the First Commandment eat and drink that which, in every respect, enables them best to discern what is the will of God, and how best to serve Him according to that will. 

While we are in the world, it will be essential to clothe ourselves—not to please the world; not to conform to some silly style that our eyes see, which is altogether of the world, and which we ourselves would never think of if our eyes had not seen it as displayed by the world—not that; but the glory of God. 

It is proper, indeed it is essential, to our glorifying God, that we shall dress neatly; that we shall wear as good clothing as we honestly can; that it shall be made to fit us becomingly, that is, that it shall conform strictly to our own individuality; that it shall be a proper expression of our own several selves, as God has made us. But to imitate the dress of others, to put something on ourselves simply because we have seen it on others, to adopt a style for ourselves which we have seen adopted by others,—all this is of the lust of the eyes; all this is not of the Father, but is of the world; it is idolatry. 

A long coat is strictly becoming to a long man, but not at all so to a short man. A high collar is entirely proper for a man who has a long neck; but for a man with a short neck to wear a collar so high that it throws up his head as if he were constantly gazing at the moon, is not at all proper. A blue dress, or one of some other color, may be exactly becoming to the one whom you saw wearing it; but it may be the last color in the world that you should wear in a dress. 

Now, all this imitating of others, all following of fashion, is but the lust of the eyes, is of the world, and is idolatry. 

Ask God what He will have you do. It can never be a proper question with you, as to whether anybody else in the wide universe does it. You are to glorify God, not others. 

Study, in the fear of God, your own self as the workmanship of God; and study, in the fear of God, asking Him only what you shall wear, what you shall eat, what you shall drink, what you shall do, that shall most fully glorify Him, that shall most fully represent the talent which He has given you to be used for Him only, according to your “several ability.” 

In every way it means much to love God with all the heart and all the soul and all the mind and all the strength. It means much to be not of the world; to love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Yet that which it means is simply the keeping of the First Commandment. 

“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” “Here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”