the war of worships
"If now this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, the hearts of this people will return to their master." —1 Kings 12:27
The Lord wants our hearts to be entirely with Him (see 1 Kgs 11:4). The devil wants our hearts to be only partially with God. This will then prevent us from loving God with all our hearts (Mt 22:37) and being saved.
The Lord tries to win our hearts by giving us the grace to treasure worshipping Him. Where our treasure is, there will our hearts be (Lk 12:34). If we treasure worshipping Him, then where our worship is, there will our hearts be.
On the other hand, the devil, like Jeroboam, tries to turn our hearts away from God by proposing alternative worship sites and services (see 1 Kgs 12:29-32). For example, instead of worshipping at church on Sunday, the devil offers us weekend worship as we party at home, bow-down before the TV, and/or frequent such worship sites as bars, shopping malls, stadiums, or corporate offices. If we put anything ahead of God, we automatically worship that thing, and then our hearts are not entirely with the Lord. Therefore, worship God alone (Ex 20:3).
Prayer: Father, may I obey the first of the Ten Commandments.
Promise: "Those who had eaten numbered about four thousand." —Mk 8:9
Praise: The Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, shrunk the growth in Clara's throat.
Reference: (For help in worshiping God alone, read the Bible daily. For encouragement, order any or all of these audio or video tapes: Ignorance of Scriptures is Ignorance of Christ, AV 82-1, V-82, How to Pray the Bible on audio AV 82-3 or on video V-82, How to Read the Bible on audio AV 46-3 or on video V-46, Principles of Bible Interpretation, audio AV 79-1, video V-79.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 2011
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