“I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.” (Isa. 43:12)
IDENTITY THEFT is on the rise as criminals manage to steal Social Security and bank account numbers, but one attempt to steal another person’s identity failed miserably. With his head bandaged crudely and wearing a neck brace, an Oregonian man handed his alleged ID to a bank teller and requested a new debit card. He explained he was on a business trip and had recently been in a car accident. The bank’s manager became suspicious and called the police. Confronted by police, the identity thief explained that his brother’s friend had stolen the ID from a car and given it to him. He admitted that he had not been in an accident and his bandages and brace were fake and simply part of his disguise.
In Old Testament times and today, false gods—whether gods of false religions or the popular gods of pleasure, wealth, or fame—vie for honor and worship. In effect, they try to steal God’s identity, but they are doomed to fail miserably. Only the God of the Bible is the true God, and He alone deserves our worship, honor, and service.
We are wise to protect our personal identity, and we are wise to keep God’s identity uncontested in our hearts and minds.
Regardless of what’s politically correct, let’s choose to be biblically correct and loyal to God.
Jim Dyet is a retired editor, a part-time pastor, and an avid golfer. He and his wife, Gloria, have been married fifty-five years.
