Priorities and the Goat Demons: Who has first priority in your life?

My chronological Bible study is in Leviticus right now. All the "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots" are a little overwhelming. This morning, though, I was startled by a verse I've previously overlooked. 

"And they shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations."
                                                                                        Leviticus 17:7 nasb

"If they worshipped a goat, they must never have had any goats," I thought at first, but then I remembered. Yes. They were shepherds. They did have goats and sheep. 

My son showed goats in 4-H. He liked goats. I did not. The ones with horns were mean to the ones without horns. They climbed on everything, were stinky and messy, and were not consistently cooperative. Except with Ryan. His goats adored him and did whatever he wanted. 

Ryan enjoyed working with goats, but I can't imagine considering a goat a god. Sacrifice to a goat? It seems ludicrous to me, but a demonic statue, complete with goat head, was unveiled in the satanic temple in Detroit July 2015. 

People still worship goat-idols today, but they are not the only false gods we worship. 

Anything to which we give highest allegiance can be a false god. Money. Power. Work. Family. 

It's a matter of priority. To what do we give highest priority? That place of preeminence should be reserved for Almighty God alone, but is it?

If we're like most believers, God ranks in our top five, but family, friends, work, and money all rank high, too. A high ranking on our priority list is a good thing for family but not for God. He wants the highest ranking and is adamant about it.

He's not being petulant or mean-spirited. He's being our good, wise Father. 

When He has greatest priority in our lives, we do things in a way that pleases Him. We choose His paths, His righteousness. We are faithful, kind, loving, patient, gentle, honest. 

Those attributes do not mark the lives of those who worship the goat idols.

Spend a few minutes thinking about your priorities. 

What are the most important things in your life? Which of those ranks higher than all the others? Is it as it should be? What changes are in order? 

"You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3 nasb

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Be sure to check the updated Prayer List (updated this morning)

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In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links: Changing the World: The Example of Kid President, The View from the Inversion Table: When Christ Upends Your Life, A Royal Priesthood: Preparing to Serve, We Won't Be Baptist (or Methodist) in Heaven, Friday Night With Friends: Between the Frying Pan and the Fire, Peace Only Comes When We Have Dealt With Our Sin, Starting a Prayer List.

#priority #Priorityandthegoatdemons #whohasfirstpriorityinyourlife #linesfromleanna