June 2021 Newsletter

Pastor’s Column

Celebrate Relationships

As we enter the month of June and the summer season, many families throughout our country are planning to get away for vacation. Vacation time is typically devoted to rest, relaxation, reflection, and fun. Vacation is linked with celebrating relationships with family members, while staying together at a resort area, or traveling and camping at national parks and other recreational locations.

Vacations allow families to enjoy new sights, encounter new attractions, and experience new kinds of fun-filled recreation, not to mention delicious cuisines, all in the hope of celebrating loving relationships together, while building memories that will last a lifetime.

Have you ever considered what God might say about families getting away together for vacation?  One thing is certain, God cares about the family and healthy family relationships that honor and glorify Him. I heard from a friend on vacation in the western part of our country. He shared some of the wonderful sights his family witnessed, which instantly directed their thoughts to God’s majestic power and beauty in creation. Their vacation together not only enabled them to celebrate family relationships but also their relationship with the living God, the Creator and sustainer of the magnificent scenes on exhibition for all to enjoy together.

When we consider some of the “one another” passages of Scripture, we quickly discover that God is deeply concerned about our relationship with Him and each other. Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” In John 15:12-14, Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.”

The Apostle Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:10,16 to “be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;” “be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.”  And in Romans 13:8, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”

Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:32-5:2, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

When we get away on our family vacations this summer, may we realize that it is a great opportunity to celebrate relationships among the members of our family. Yet, may we also reflect on the presence of the greatest relationship, that being with our Creator God, who sent His only begotten Son into the world to be our Savior from sin and to reconcile us back to God and adopt us as members of God’s eternal family.

To the glory of God,

Steven L. Myers

June Pulpit Schedule

6^th – Saved in the Kindness of God – Titus 3:1-7, Ephesians 2:8-10, Psalm 130

All Christians were at one time separated from the love of God.  They could not stand before the Lord because of their sin.  It is the great lovingkindness of God that while we were far off sinners, He brought us near.  He redeemed us from the power of sin and death.  Is there any greater news than that?  It is the gospel; the message we proclaim near and far. 

13^th – Heirs Rejecting Division – Titus 3:8-15, Psalm 133, Numbers 16 s.v. (1-7,16-24, 28-33)

People from time to time have been known to disagree.  In a fallen and sinful world, there may be no more obvious statement.  Sadly, division is also present within the assembly of believers.  Paul encourages Titus to reject division and those who peddle in it.  May we be a people completely focused on the redeeming love of God so that we might not be divided in unprofitable disputes. 

20^th – God’s Master Plan of Salvation – Deuteronomy 7: 6-10; John 6: 26-51; Ephesians 1: 1-14

Robert E. Coleman wrote a classic work entitled “The Master Plan of Evangelism”, whereby he encourages believers to set the course of their life on the principles and pattern established by the Lord Jesus in order to fulfill God’s plan of the Great Commission in the world. Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus reveals God’s master plan of salvation for the establishment of the Church. We will examine the standards of God’s master plan and why they are essential for the salvation of sinners.

27^th – Prayer for Spiritual Insight in Christ – Isaiah 11: 1-5; John 3: 1-8; Ephesians 1: 15-22

The Apostle Paul’s inspired prayer for the saints to receive from God spiritual wisdom, understanding, and illumination in one sense has already transpired, when they by faith in Jesus Christ received God’s gift of salvation and eternal life. So, the question is, why pray for these saints for what they have already received? The answer to this question will be discovered as we expose the riches of the content of Paul’s prayer for the saints.

Congratulations to Our Graduates

2021 has been another unusual year for graduates. Graduations will take place but a little differently.

Our list of graduates this year is pretty meager. But that doesn’t mean our graduates are not eager to strike out for new endeavors! We congratulate each one most heartily and pray for God’s blessing and guidance upon them.

High School

• Adam Foote is the son Jim & Ginna, he will be graduating from Pennridge High School.
• Corbin Hostelley is the son of Michael & Tosha, he will be graduating from Souderton High School.
• Samuel Murphy is the son of Ken & Wendy, he will be graduating from Souderton High School.
• Calvin Radcliff is the son of Brian & Wendy and is another graduate of Souderton High School.
• Phoenix Smith is the son of Ben & Evangeline, he will be graduating from Pennridge High School.

College Graduates

• Lora Dever, daughter of Doug & Caren Elliott graduating from Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN with a Doctorate in Education.
• Krista Tyson is graduating from Eastern University with a Bachelor of Social Work, with a minor in Spanish. She will be working for Worthwhile Wear as a house coach at The Well.
• Derek Freed is the son of David and Vicki and is graduating from Messiah.

Issues & Answers Summer Relaxation

Our regular presenters in Issues & Answers need a break. They’ve been toiling hard since last September. They have found the solution. You’ll never guess what it is.

John Niederhaus has been contracted to begin a ramble through Romans on June 27^th and going through September 5^th. He has been known to ramble, and Romans has lots of roads on which to ramble. He anticipates more of a discussion format than a lecture format. But, you know, sometimes he gets going and you just can’t shut him up. He’s promised to be on his best behavior for this Ramble through Romans. He’ll be relaxed and encourages you to be relaxed as well.

You may be thinking ahead of time of good questions or insights to bring up. Who knows, it could turn into a Quodlibet type setting. Come out to the Issues & Answers and find out.

From the Pastor to Youth & Children

For the past couple of months, I have been looking at various elements of the worship service and discussing why they are biblical and important. Now, I am going to do the same for preaching. It might seem silly to write about why preaching would be important for a church service.  After all, isn’t the sermon supposed to serve as the center or focal point of the service? While it is true that should be the case, it is often not in practice. I have often heard people describe a great worship service with a so-so sermon. That is an impossibility. All of the church service from the invocation through the benediction are all acts of worship. This includes and, in some ways, particularly pertains to the sermon. 

When we think about preaching, we often think of verses within the Scripture like 1 Timothy 4:13. There Paul says to Timothy, UNTIL I COME, GIVE ATTENTION TO THE PUBLIC READING OF SCRIPTURE, TO EXHORTATION AND TEACHING. Clearly Paul has in view that Timothy is to be preaching in Ephesus. Paul’s intention for his protégé reflects a wider trend within the Scriptures. Can you imagine the stir Jesus would have caused as He started His public ministry? Luke records Jesus’ beginning in the synagogue. There He read from the Scriptures and gave commentary on their importance. Reading from Isaiah, he announced that God had fulfilled the promises through the prophet in the midst of the current audience. In other words, Jesus was claiming to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament. His method was commonplace; His message was radical. Beyond the New Testament, the whole of the book of Deuteronomy is a collection of sermons delivered by Moses to God’s people. In them he helped a generation as they entered the promised land and encouraged them to remain faithful to the Lord. 

Preaching today has a similar function. The Scriptures are God’s revelation of His redeeming actions in history. They contain all that is necessary for life and godliness. In preaching, we understand that the minister proclaims the gospel that the Lord has worked through Christ to redeem His people. The pastor also proclaims how the Lord continues to work through us by conforming us to the image of His Son. Preaching then is vital to worship because it helps us understand the very nature of the God we worship and how we are to come to Him. Further, as we hear and understand the redemption the Lord has accomplished in His Son, our hearts are quickened to respond in praise.    

In our media saturated culture full of images, sights, and sounds, the prospect of focusing on the preached Word of God may sound daunting. If that is so, take heart. As you listen to the Scriptures as they are preached, consider how the ideas of the sermon direct you to the text.  Consider how the text directs to the Lord Jesus who lived, died, and rose again. Consider how the text is calling you to grow in your obedience to the Lord out of gratitude for all He has accomplished in you. Finally, as you hear the Word preached, praise the Lord for so great a Savior and so great a salvation.

To the praise of His Glory,

Michael

Here’s the Scoop on SLMT ’21

Below is a list of data which should answer all (or, almost all) of your questions about this summer’s SLMT Work Weeks. Read it. Absorb it. Sign up for it.

• Two work weeks: July 12-16 and August 2-6.
• Two Saturdays for those not free during the week, but who want to help: July 17 and August 7.
• You are welcome to sign up for one week or both weeks or a week and a Saturday or only Saturdays, etc.
• Efforts will be made to accommodate those who can only work one or two days during a particular week.
• Notice a separate sign-up sheet is posted for food/lunch preparation. Those also are being divided into those able to do the July week or those who can do the August week.
• There are three main areas of concentration for work teams:

1. Construction – from framing to finish work, including plumbing, wiring, drywall
2. Maintenance – e.g. painting, cleaning out debris, handyman jobs
3. Landscaping – e.g. clearing brush, spreading wood chips, making trails

• Orientation meeting for all signed up is Wednesday evening June 16^th at 7.
• This is not an age-specific assignment; all ages welcome. But you gotta work.
• This is not a skill-specific assignment, though particular skill sets will be utilized if at all possible. There will be work for all levels of skills or lack thereof.
• Each morning volunteers will assemble at the church at 7:30. There will be a review of assignments, some devotional thought, questions answered, and then volunteers will be transported to their respective work sites.
• Each workday will end between 4:30 and 5pm and volunteers will be transported back to the church.
• There will be a uniform lunch break for all volunteers with food delivered by other volunteers who have been working in the church kitchen. Lunches will be simple, but tasty and ample. Yes, they will include a dessert – preferably homemade – we’ll see.
• Each volunteer will need to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and a Volunteer Waiver. Those forms will be available and explained at the Orientation Meeting on the 16^th.
• Background checks are not required.
• Each volunteer will be expected to raise financial supporters and prayer supporters – usually those folk are the same, though not necessarily.

There. Wasn’t that better than trying to glean all that information from a long article! You’re welcome! Now, sign up!

Gospel Gleanings Update: Chad & Niger

Despite all the turmoil in Chad (and which has spilled over into Niger) because of the death of her President in April, the churches of Chad and Niger are moving forward with plans for evangelization and church planting. Global Disciples, our ministry connection with Chad and Niger, has encouraging reports in each of its three ministry programs.

Global Disciples’ Discipleship-Mission Training is their basic course that prepares individual believers to make disciples and plant churches. This is done with a cluster of local churches identifying believers from within their ranks who are eager to receive such training and to do the work it projects. Combined, Chad and Niger will have 12 such Discipleship-Mission Training events over the next several months. Each program will have 10 to 15 disciples trained and sent to least reached areas. That means somewhere around 150 such disciples will be sent out. We should pray for their training and their subsequent labors among the unreached peoples.

Another Global Disciples program active in Niger and Chad is the Small Business Development Trainings. These initiatives provide church planters with a means of support and gives him an identity or reason to be in a community unreached by the Gospel. At this point, it is anticipated that 10 such trainings will take place in these countries this year. As they share the Gospel and new congregations are started, they pass on the business skills to members of the new churches and foster healthy economics for the church community. This is how congregations become self-supporting.

The third program Global Disciples use is LEAD Trainings. As the name suggests, this is where leaders for the other two programs are trained. Global Disciples does not have staff do the training but seeks to raise up indigenous leaders who catch the vision and carry the Gospel forward. If all goes as planned there will be 7 LEAD Trainings conducted in Chad and Niger this year.

All of what is described above is undergirded financially by our Dollar-A-Day Gospel Gleanings offerings. That is a privilege. All of what is described above is spiritually undergirded by our day-by-day prayers for the Christians and churches of Chad and Niger, especially those involved in taking the Gospel to unreached people groups. That is a blessing.

Women’s Ministry

Ladies of Leidy’s

Ladies, you are invited to our Strawberry Social on Tuesday, June 1st in the Fellowship Hall at 7 pm.

There will be a short Ladies of Leidy’s meeting after the social. We will be installing our new President: Debbie Schatz and Vice President: BJ Kulp. This will be our last meeting until September 7th. There is no need to sign up for our Strawberry Social, just come and enjoy the fellowship and the strawberries.

Save the Drama!

Don’t waste the drama, save it for Judgment House the ministry formerly called Judgment House because WE ARE GOING TO NEED IT.  Don’t go thinking that you can’t help because you don’t like acting.  We will need help in construction projects (both large and small), prop collection, and a whole host of other tasks.  Please join us on Sunday June 20^th at 4:00 in the Fellowship Hall for an informational meeting and walkthrough.

VBS

Don’t worry if something starts to smell fishy, it isn’t the Kitchen Committee playing games. VBS is a comin, and we are about to take the plunge into Jonah.  This year VBS will take place June 21^st through the 25^th. We set sail each night at 6:30 and arrive back to port (unless we have been eaten) at 8:00. A family meal will start each night at 6 p.m. Please register your K-5^th grader at www.leidyschurch.org/children. There is a need for folks to help serve as guides, cooks, setters up, and tearers down. Please take a look at the needs listed in the Narthex or contact the church office with any questions.

A New Dimension in Time – That Is, In This Time of Need

Leidy’s Church is entering her third year in relationship with Pastor Dagoberto and the congregation of Iglesia Luz y Verdad in Colombia. Two years ago we had a mission team go down and help them with their labors among the Venezuelan refugees.

Last year with Covid that all changed. The refugees were evicted and sent back to Venezuela amid horrible conditions. Then Pastor Dagoberto connected with Pastor Jésus Ramon who lives in Venezuela. Since last May we’ve still been able to help with the desperate needs of Venezuelans materially and spiritually via the ministry of Pastor Jésus. He reaches out to the poorest of the poor with basic foods, medicine, and the biblical message of redemption through the Lord Jesus.

Now there is another dimension coming into focus. Martha Wolgemuth, a native Colombian and member of Leidy’s Church, is beginning a Precept Bible Study course via Zoom with ladies in Colombia and Venezuela. Pastor Dagoberto’s wife Marley is helping her by recruiting women in Colombia and Venezuela to register for the course. Thus far over 20 women are registered for the course on the book of Esther. Praise God for this avenue of ministry.

Martha would appreciate our prayers for this course. We appreciate Martha’s initiative and willingness to serve in this way. It’s a new dimension in ministry for the women in Colombia and Venezuela, and also for Martha! Let’s keep them in our prayers.

Urgent Request

GTi Hope [formerly known as Glad Tidings India] reached out to Leidy’s Church with an urgent request. The surge in Covid cases in India has been well documented. It has vast, serious implications for millions of Indian people, including those among whom GTi Hope is ministering. Help is needed. GTi Hope has a two-pronged approach.

1) Covid Relief Kits – these are kits that will provide an impoverished family of four with basic food for three week, as well as sanitation supplies and masks. Each kit costs $35 to produce. GTi Hope is purposing to distribute 3,000 such kits.

2) The indigenous ministry of GTi Hope is India Bible Literature [IBL]. IBL has 62 employees. Those employees/staff earn a combined $16,000 per month. IBL main source of income is the 85,000 pieces of Scripture material it distributes/sells each day. With lockdown measures in place for the past several months there has been zero income. All IBL reserve funds are expended. In faith, GTi Hope will support IBL’s salaries as needed, possibly for several months. They are trusting the Lord and His people to enable them to do so.

How do we participate? By using a Second Mile offering envelope, marking it India Covid Help, and enclosing your contribution. This special offering will extend from May 23^rd to June 6^th. That’s three Sundays for us to collect funds to help. Thanks for your help.

Within the Fellowship

Congratulations to Andrew and Carly Camuso at the birth of a son, Chandler Robeson, and to Aiden and Rachel LeFever at the birth of a daughter, Elizabeth Jo. May God be with them as they grow in Him.

Testimonies from Two Erukula Women

One of the fruits of last year’s Gospel Gleaning program is the literacy programs being conducted among the Erukula people. We know there are 450 students spread through 15 different classes. Last month we learned about 10 “tailoring machines” that were sent to some Erukula women. We didn’t know if the recipients were part of the literacy classes. Now we know: they were! Here are testimonies from two of those women:

• My name is Padmavathi. My husband became drunked. We have two children. I joined in Adult Education Centre. I came to know about Jesus Christ. And I got sewing machine from IBL [India Bible Literature]. Through tailoring work I am able to provide for my family. So I am grateful to IBL which helped me to lead peaceful life. Thank you.
• My name is Vijayamma. My husband is doing daily labor work. I came to know about Christ through Adult Literacy Program. I have joined in that and got tailoring machine through IBL. Through tailoring work I am able to help provide for my family. So I am grateful to IBL which helped me to lead peaceful life. Thank you very much.

Not one of us thought last year as we put our daily dollar into the silk purse Bill Teate gave us that women with names such as Padmavathi and Vijayamma would take a literacy class, learn about and become disciples of Christ, find a new means of helping provide for their households, and experience the peace of the Lord on a regular basis. Isn’t it great how God can take just a little of what we do or what we give and make it mean much! We thank God for this fruit He has brought forth. And we purpose to continue to pray for the Erukula people, that His hand of blessing and salvation and godly growth would be upon them.

Summer Sunday School

Have you ever considered how many missionaries Immanuel Leidy’s Church supports? Do you know where they all serve or what sorts of work they do to spread the Gospel? This summer we are going to look at some of the missionaries and ministries we support. We are going to look at the ways they seek to communicate the love of Jesus to the people they work with, we are going to look at some of the games they might play, and some of the food they might eat. We will even have an opportunity to taste and see that missionary work can be delicious! This Sunday School Adventure is for families this summer. Starting on June 27, families will be invited to come to the Youth Room at 8:45 to live, laugh, and learn. If you have any questions, please contact the church office.

Consistory

On Wednesday, May 5^th, the Consistory of Immanuel Leidy’s Church was called to order at 7:32 pm, and minutes were taken of the meeting, from which relevant notes are listed below.

John Dilenge led in devotions on the topic of the Word of God as it relates to logic. John cited Hebrews 4:12-13 and shared “the word” is translated from the Greek word “logos”, meaning “logic.” John likes logical thinking, and he told a story how his first job from college dealt with the logic of decoding on a mainframe computer to create inbound and outbound codes for railroad station managers, the logic worked! He cited John 1:1 and John 15:3 to show how “the word” has a variety of meanings in the Word of God and in Revelation 19:3 that Jesus’ words are the logic of God. John closed by reading Deuteronomy 29:29 to encourage us to have a greater pursuit of the logic of God so that we daily live by it as a church.

Minutes from the April 2021 meeting were reviewed and approved. The financial report for the month of April was presented by Ron Moyer.  Ron commented on the general fund giving, the expenses and concluded a healthy fund balance for the month of April. It was noted that the end balance did not reflect monies owed to one of the pastors and that those funds be documented as a liability to reflect an accurate fund balance on next month’s report. With these noted changes, the financial report was approved.

Items of business were discussed, which included updates on the wicking and steeple, the HUB parking lot and sidewalk repairs, and the church parking lot crack repairs. Dave Reich reported that excavation and waterproofing was applied to the front of the church building. A proposal is to be sent to Penn Builders with a deadline of October 1^st to complete all of the repairs. Kendell Musselman has a quote to repair the sidewalk at the HUB and is getting quotes to repair pavement at HUB and cracks on church parking lot.

The Pulpit Committee reported that they are conducting a second interview with a new candidate as the next step in the process of searching for a new senior pastor. Other measures to acquire other candidates are being investigated.

Dave Reich informed Consistory that the Spiritual Council decided that communion be served by the elders distributing the elements via walking through the roped off rows. Notification about this change of procedure will be explained to the congregation.

Dave Reich and Pastor Myers met with the primary tenant of the HUB to discuss his long-term vision. The tenant expressed a strong desire to remain at the HUB and to acquire the property. A brief discussion ensued on the topic of leasing vs. selling the property. The tenant was informed of a third-party interest, to which the tenant was requested to make a proposal for the purchase of the property, to be presented at a later meeting. It was noted that if the HUB Assessment Committee recommends selling the HUB, the proposal must be approved by Consistory and then voted on at a Congregation meeting.

Jim Kinney requested that we move ahead on constructing a pavilion and developing the ball fields, noting that the facility would be great for church events and offer an outreach to the community. Jim received an estimate cost from Kapusta’s Architecture Company of $900,000 to $1,000,000, which would require taking out a line of credit. Discussion about the project centered on the timing in lieu of needing to remediate unresolved issues at the church building site. Jim was encouraged to collect information needed to prepare for the project in the future. 

Jim Kinney suggested we purchase playground equipment for the fenced off area outside the Sunday School rooms. After a brief discussion, Jim was encouraged to get quotes for the purchase and installation of commercial grade playground equipment.

Nate Kulp agreed to serve as deacon for a second term. Therefore, there was no need for nominations for the 2022 term of deacon.

Pastors’ reports were submitted. Pastor Steve spoke about the value of the shepherding ministry and for the opening of retirement communities for visitation. Pastor Michael shared how CMAC is busy with plans for VBS this summer.

Other committee reports were reviewed, with property scheduling a clean -up day for Saturday, May 22^nd, and missions verifying the Kirkpatrick’s do not support Shane Claiborne, and Betty Jo and Peter Lockman traveling to the Ukraine to work with Love Cradle Ministries at the end of May. The church & community is working together with missions to plan this summer’s SLMT with Worthwhile Wear.

John Dilenge prayed for enumerated concerns after which the meeting was adjourned with a unison prayer of the Lord’s prayer at 10:38 PM.

The New City Catechism

Question 9: What does God require in the first, second, and third commandments?

First, that we know and trust God as the only true and living God. Second, that we avoid all idolatry and do not worship God improperly. third, that we treat God’s name with fear and reverence, honoring also his Word and works.

Deuteronomy 6:13-14: It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you.

Commentary – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

God leads men to see that the God revealed in Scripture, and manifested in the person of the Lord Jesus, is the God who made heaven and earth. Man fashions for himself a god after his own liking; he makes to himself if not out of wood or stone, yet out of what he calls his own consciousness, or his cultured thought, a deity to his taste, who will not be too severe with his iniquities or deal out strict justice to the impenitent. He rejects God as he is, and elaborates other gods, such as he thinks the Divine One ought to be, and he says concerning these works of his own imagination, “These be thy gods, O Israel!”

The Holy Spirit, however, when he illuminates their minds, leads us to see that Jehovah is God, and beside him there is none else. He teaches his people to know that the God of heaven and earth is the God of the Bible, a God whose attributes are completely balanced, mercy attended by justice, love accompanied by holiness, grace arrayed in truth, and power linked with tenderness. He is not a God who winks at sin, much less is pleased with it, as the gods of the heathen are supposed to be, but a God who cannot look upon iniquity, and will by no means spare the guilty. This is the great quarrel of the present day between the philosopher and the Christian. The philosopher says, “Yes, a god if you will, but he must be of such a character as I now dogmatically set before you”; but the Christian replies, “Our business is not to invent a god, but to obey the one Lord who is revealed in the Scriptures of truth.”

John Lin

The first three commandments show how we are to live in reference to and in light of the only true and living God.

The first commandment tells us that we are to have no other gods but God. He is to be the exclusive object of our worship, the ultimate object of our love and desire. The second commandment is similar and tells us that we are not to worship God according to our own conception of God, what the Bible calls idolatry. We must worship God according to who he is and not according to what we want him to be. In other words, do not worship false gods, and do not worship God falsely.

The third commandment is actually similar to the first two. We are not to misuse or mistreat the name of God. We know God’s name describes his character, the essence of his being, which is why he told Moses that his name is “I am.” In other words, God is saying, “My name is that I’m self-existent and eternal.” To not misuse the name of God doesn’t merely mean that there are certain words we can or cannot say. It means that when we speak of God, whether through words or lifestyle, we are to fully honor and respect who he is.

Let’s consider the first two commandments a bit more. Say, for instance, you believe in your heart that attaining some goal in your life—prestige, a certain kind of job, a relationship with the person of your dreams —will provide you with ultimate comfort and will answer your heart’s desire for significance. In a daily functional way, you look to that goal to provide you with deeper comfort than God. That’s breaking the first commandment. You’ve turned your goal into God. Prestige, a certain job, or a person has become the object of your worship.

The flip side is that if you worship God because you believe that he should provide you with comfort by providing the prestige, the job, or the relationship that you desire and are looking for, you are also violating the commandments. You’ve imposed your conception of who God is on God. You’ve created a custom designer god, an idol. These first two commandments are that we worship God alone, that we worship God as a true God, and that we not worship a designer god or an idol.

So why do these commandments insist on us worshiping God alone and worshiping God as he is and not as we want him to be? Why is the third commandment so insistent on honoring and respecting his name and his character? It is because God created us with a desire that only he can fulfill—a desire for him. If we are always trying to change who God is or replace him with something else, we’ll never be at peace. We’ll never experience true comfort, true significance, or true joy. We’ll never be whole. But if God is at the center of our lives, not another god or a revised version of God, but the true and living God, we’ll truly be at peace.

This is precisely why Augustine wrote, “You’ve made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”