What's With the 317, Anyway? (God Is Jealous)

In Which I Give A Formal Introduction

I rather enjoy writing. Actually, that's probably insulting to those who are actually good at it. Allow me to rephrase myself - I rather enjoy getting my thoughts written down. I am simply one of many people trying to live life while keeping an intentional focus on Christ. So I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on it. Mind you, I'm young. I don't really know that much, I haven't had that many experiences, and I have little to no authority on a lot of topics. However, I'm not claiming that I do. Maybe where I'm at in life will speak to those in similar situations. I hope so. I also hope the thoughts God gives me will transcend what I expect and somehow, through my occasionally dysfunctional and unorganized thoughts, you will hear him speaking to your heart.

So to start off, I've written my first piece to explain why I chose to call this "Living a 317 Life". I hope you are edified by it!

In Which I Provide A Basis For My Main Point

Ever heard the phrase  “God is a jealous god”? That always made me uncomfortable as a kid. Why would we describe God as jealous when we are taught that jealousy is bad? Well, the idea came from God himself, in Exodus 20:4-5. As of late, I've come to understand what it means to me. In short, it's this: All In.

God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. These are a big deal. They are moral standards that stand the test of many ages. One of these commandments reveals the concept of God's jealousy:

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. (vs. 4-5 NLT)

There it is. God is a jealous God. But wait - there's more. For I...am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. It's a description of what his jealousy looks like. It doesn't look like envy. It's not getting angry when someone else receives favor. It looks more like a husband who doesn't want anyone to mess with his wife, in the purest, most selfless way possible.

If we proclaim to love God, and give him our life (or part of it - more about this later), we shouldn't be messing around with other gods. How would you feel if your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/best friend was entertaining a relationship with someone else but constantly insisting that you are the only one they feel that way about? What if that's how God feels every Sunday morning when we tell him how much we love him, but don't stifle our affection for other gods?

Now, to clear up some possible confusion on my use of the term "other gods" - anything we worship or bow down to becomes a god to us. As God says in his commandment, we must not make an idol of any kind. This can be a relationship, an ability, a physical thing, a reputation. Anything we make as a god for ourselves gets in the way of our affection for God. This brings about his righteous jealousy. I don't believe he is jealous of our gods; he is simply jealous for us. He loves us so much that he doesn't want us to give our affection away so easily.

What I want you to take away from this is that God is indeed a jealous God; but not in the way we think of jealousy. His love is jealous, and it's a beautiful thing, and is simply a reminder of how great our God is.

In Which I Explain a Life Lived in Response

So there's that. Now to bring this back around to the phrase I stated earlier: All In. God's call for us to make no idols, and to bow down to no other gods is one that should bring about a response in us. This response can either be obedience or rebellion. Don't let the stigma surrounding those words confuse you, however - obedience is the much more liberating and adventurous option.

What does obedience to this commandment look like? I believe the answer can be found in Colossians 3:17, something of a life-verse for me:

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (3:17 NLT)

That sums it up for me. We are representatives of Christ. This kind of living demonstrates a response. A response to something God has already done. A response to his grace, to his call, and to his relentless, jealous love. 

Now, there is a very important factor to this verse. Read it again. "Whatever you do or say." Whatever. Basically, your whole life. This points back to God's jealousy. God isn't asking for part of us. Grace shouldn't just prompt us to go to church on Sundays. Relentless love shouldn't just keep us from being impatient with our friends or co-workers. Joy doesn't mean putting on a fake smile in front of our pastor. God calls us to go all in. 

God wants all of you. God wants all of me. God wants all of us. He didn't intend for us to allow grace into part of our lives. He intended for us to become consumed by it, to be engulfed by it, to be drowning in it. That's what an appropriate response looks like. Well, as appropriate a response as we can offer. We can never truly respond in an adequate way to God's infinite love and mercy. All the more reason to offer ourselves completely. 

Colossians 3:17 reminds me who I live for. It reminds me that I am living in response to something amazing. It prompts me to hold nothing back. It's scary. It's hard. I haven't figured it all out. But it's worth it. It's so worth it.

God is jealous. So go all in.