“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
(Ephesians 5:5)
The Word of God cuts straight through our excuses and makes us see that either God is the portion of our soul, or we’ve allowed something else to take His place. There is no neutral ground. To love, prize, and rest in anything as our chief good other than God is worship directed at the wrong object. And the end of that worship is always loss.
The old preachers understood this well. They reasoned carefully, but they never softened the conclusion. If God is incomparable, then those who truly have Him are incomparably blessed. And if a person does not have Him, no matter what else they possess, they are poor. Every life is shaped by what it serves. Every heart takes its tone from the god it bows to. Happiness and misery flow directly from allegiance.
Nothing can give more than it has. A god can only bless according to its own nature. That is why serving the flesh produces misery. The flesh is weak. It breaks down. It lies. It fades. It promises pleasure and delivers bondage. Scripture describes it as base, frail, deceitful, and passing away. To enthrone it is to choose a ruler that cannot save, protect, or satisfy.
The same is true of the world. The covetous man is called an idolater because wealth, status, and possession are treated as if they could carry the weight of the soul. They cannot. They leave the worshiper restless even when gained, and empty when lost.
Against all of this stands the living God. He has no equal. No rival. No comparison. Scripture asks the question again and again, “Who is a god like unto thee?” The implied answer is always the same. No one.
And if a person has truly come to know Christ as Savior and Lord, then this same God has said of them, “I will be their God.” That promise is the substance of redemption. It is what Christ purchased.
So to be able to say “my God” is no small thing.[1] The sweetness of that possession cannot be exhausted. Everything else a person claims as “mine” can be taken—possessions, relationships, strength, reputation. But God gives Himself to His people. And that is all we need.
Yet this gift does not come alone. All that God is comes with Him. His power guards. His wisdom directs. His grace pardons sin. His love delights the soul. His justice secures acceptance through Christ. His faithfulness keeps every promise. His glory clothes His people with beauty they did not earn. His Word instructs them. His works serve them. Creation, providence, redemption—all work toward their good.
But maybe the most staggering reality of all is that God gives Himself to His people forever. When worldly supports fail, He abides. When death strips everything else away, He stays. “This God is our God for ever and ever.”
Contemplations:
- What I have been serving. When I slow down and look honestly at my patterns, I can see how easily my heart drifts toward substitutes. I say I trust God, but I often measure peace by comfort, security by money, worth by productivity. The Word calls this idolatry, not weakness. So I need grace to see it clearly and not defend it.
- The poverty of my idols. I am struck by how empty the gods I chase really are. They ask so much and give so little. They promise control and deliver pressure. They promise satisfaction and produce restlessness. They never answer prayer nor quiet my conscience. They never prepare me for suffering or death. I have trusted things that cannot see me, hear me, or help me, and then wondered why my soul felt bare.
- The weight of saying “My God.” I don’t think I pause enough over that phrase, “My God.” A reality purchased by Christ. If God is truly mine, then I am not as vulnerable as I feel. I act as though everything depends on what I can hold together. That is false. If God gives Himself, then I already have what cannot be taken. That should reshape how I fear, how I grieve, and how I hope.
- The danger of divided allegiance. Ephesians 5:5 tells me that divided loyalty is not harmless. I can’t comfort myself by saying I love God while giving my deepest trust to something else. Besides, I don’t want to wake up and realize too late that I shaped my life around something that could not save me. I need a heart that truly chooses God, not just in words, but in practice.
Prayer (Supplication)
O Lord, I come to You because I need what I cannot give myself. I need a heart that is not divided, not secretly loyal to other masters. I confess that I have often asked You to bless me while holding onto idols I didn’t want to release. I wanted comfort without surrender. That is not faith. That is bargaining, and it leaves my soul restless.
You have shown me that idols are cruel masters. They exhaust me. They promise more than they can ever deliver. Yet I keep drifting back to them. I ask You now to break that pattern. Not gently, if need be, but truly. I don’t want refined idolatry. I don’t want respectable substitutes. I want You to be my portion in truth and not just I words.
Give me eyes to see the emptiness of what competes with You. When my heart leans toward money, show me how uncertain it is. When I cling to comfort, remind me how quickly it disappears. When I chase approval, expose how fragile it is. Do not let me be deceived by gods that cannot hear my prayers or carry me through suffering.
I ask You to deepen my grasp of what it means that You give Yourself to Your people. Let “my God” stop being a phrase I say quickly. Let it become something that steadies me when I am afraid and humbles me when I am proud. Teach me to rest there. Teach me to live as someone who already possesses what matters most.
Strengthen my resolve to choose You daily, especially when lesser things feel easier and more immediate. I need Your power for this. Left to myself, I will always drift. Hold me. Correct me. Draw my heart back when it wanders. Make Yourself so weighty to my soul that everything else finds its proper place.
I ask this because You alone are worthy, and because You have promised to hear those who come to You through Christ.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Ephesians 5:5:
Col. 3:5; 1 Cor. 6:9; Gal. 5:21; Rev. 22:15
[1] George Swinnock, The Works of George Swinnock, M.A., vol. 4 (Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert, 1868), 505–508.
