The other day, I had the opportunity to talk with a woman who’d recently broken off a relationship. As you can imagine, the word commitment came up in our conversation. According to the woman, her former boyfriend had a divided heart. He cared for her, but he also loved another. Not only had he hidden love for another in his heart, but he’d also tucked away a picture of his girlfriend in his wallet. The woman spotted the picture and came to the sensible conclusion that she wanted a more devoted man. As this story illustrates, commitment is an important part of any relationship. If you have feelings for someone outside of the relationship, the union will fizzle most of the time. Commitment in the marriage relationship is even more important. This is the only type of relationship that will lead to a healthy marriage.

The same is true of our relationship with Father God. He longs to be in relationship with us, but we cannot have a divided heart. As believers, we cannot be devoted to anything but him. He must come first.

As my conversation with this woman continued, I was able to share about the type of relationship God wanted to have with her. Much like she wanted from her former boyfriend, God wanted her complete devotion and commitment. I went on to share a portion of Exodus 20:4-5, which states.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.”

In other words, God is zealous for us. We are dear to our Heavenly Father, and God is eager about protecting what is precious.