Keeping God First - Four Laws Over Spilt Milk

Four Laws Over Spilt Milk: Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

We've all had those moments - accidentally knocking over a glass of milk, watching helplessly as it spreads across the table and drips onto the floor. As children, we might have cried over spilt milk, but as adults, we know it's just a minor inconvenience. Yet, this simple scenario can teach us profound spiritual truths about our relationship with God and how we navigate our faith journey.

Imagine a toddler in a high chair, learning to drink from a cup. Sometimes they succeed, other times they spill. Occasionally, they might even knock it over intentionally in a moment of frustration. As we grow in our spiritual lives, we're not so different. We often "spill milk" in our relationship with God - sometimes accidentally, sometimes deliberately. The question is: who cleans up the mess, and how?

This is where we encounter the beautiful metaphor of God as a patient, loving parent. Like a mother who gently cleans up after her child's spills, God is there to cleanse our hearts from the messes we make. Whether we've stumbled unintentionally or rebelled willfully, His grace is sufficient to restore us.

In the early church, leaders grappled with how to guide new Gentile believers. They distilled their guidance into four key laws, two of which are particularly relevant to our discussion today:

1. Abstain from food sacrificed to idols
2. Abstain from blood
   
   

At first glance, these might seem like arbitrary dietary restrictions. But dig deeper, and we find they speak to the very core of our faith: worship and redemption.

The first law reminds us to keep our worship pure. In a world full of distractions and competing priorities, it's all too easy to let other "gods" creep into our lives. These might not be literal idols, but anything that takes precedence over our relationship with God - work, relationships, possessions, or even our own desires.

The Ten Commandments begin with "You shall have no other gods before me." This isn't because God is insecure or petty. Rather, He knows that we flourish best when He alone occupies the throne of our hearts. When we keep God first, with no close second, we're better equipped to handle all other aspects of our lives in a healthy, balanced way.

The second law, abstaining from blood, points us to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year, offering animal sacrifices for sin. But Jesus, both fully God and fully human, became our eternal High Priest and the perfect Lamb of God. His blood, shed once for all, cleanses us from sin and gives us direct access to God's presence.

This is the heart of the Gospel - not our own efforts or good deeds, but Christ's work on our behalf. As Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

Embracing this truth frees us from the exhausting cycle of trying to earn God's love or forgiveness. Instead, we're invited to rest in what Christ has already accomplished, allowing His Spirit to work in and through us.

But here's where many of us stumble: even as believers, we can lose sight of these foundational truths. We might find ourselves going through the motions, preaching about loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, without actually living it out. Or we might become so caught up in serving God that we neglect our personal relationship with Him.

There may even be seasons where we're afraid to pray, "God, I want to love you with my whole heart," because we know we're not there yet. In those moments, we can take comfort in the honest prayer, "God, make me want to want to love you more."

This journey of faith isn't about perfection; it's about progress. It's about continually turning back to God, allowing Him to cleanse our hearts and renew our minds. It's about recognizing when we've "spilt milk" and inviting God to do the deep cleaning work that only He can do.

As we navigate this path, we're called to keep the main thing the main thing:

1. Worship God alone, allowing no other gods (visible or invisible) to compete for His place in our lives.
2. Trust in the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, relying on His blood alone for our redemption and relationship with God.
   
   

When we focus on these core truths, everything else falls into place. Our love for others, our service, our daily decisions - all flow from a heart centered on God and transformed by His grace.

So, the next time you spill some milk (literally or figuratively), let it be a reminder. A reminder of God's patience, His willingness to clean up our messes, and His desire for an intimate relationship with us. Let it prompt you to examine your heart: Are you keeping God first? Are you trusting in Christ's finished work?

And if you find yourself struggling, don't be afraid to start with that simple, honest prayer: "God, I want to want to love you more. Help me keep the main thing the main thing."
In doing so, you'll find that God is faithful to meet you where you are, gently guiding you closer to Him, one step at a time. For it's not about our perfect performance, but about His perfect love transforming us from the inside out.