The Lord wants our hearts to be entirely with Him (see 1 Kgs 11:4). The devil wants our hearts to be only partially with God. This will then prevent us from loving God with all our hearts (Mt 22:37) and being saved.
The Lord tries to win our hearts by giving us the grace to treasure worshipping Him. Where our treasure is, there will our hearts be (Lk 12:34). If we treasure worshipping Him, then where our worship is, there will our hearts be.
On the other hand, the devil, like Jeroboam, tries to turn our hearts away from God by proposing alternative worship sites and services (see 1 Kgs 12:29-32). For example, instead of worshipping at church on Sunday, the devil offers us weekend worship as we party at home, bow-down before the TV, and/or frequent such worship sites as bars, shopping malls, stadiums, or corporate offices. If we put anything ahead of God, we automatically worship that thing, and then our hearts are not entirely with the Lord. Therefore, worship God alone (Ex 20:3).
| PRAYER: | Father, may I obey the first of the Ten Commandments. |
| PROMISE: | "Those who had eaten numbered about four thousand." –Mk 8:9 |
| PRAISE: | The Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, shrunk the growth in Clara's throat. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College