URC Daily Devotion Monday 18th August 2025

Exodus 20:1-17    

Then God spoke all these words:
I am the LORD your God…you shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol…you shall not bow down to them or worship them.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God…
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy…
Honour your father and your mother…
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
You shall not covet your neighbour’s house…or wife…or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Reflection        

The first two of the Ten Commandments forbid having other gods before the Lord and making and worshipping idols, which means much more than making ‘graven images’ in the familiar phrase. In our culture one such idol is success. In his work for ‘Ethics’, which he intended to be his ‘magnum opus’ but, sadly, never finished, Bonhoeffer wrote ‘where the figure of a successful person becomes especially prominent, the majority fall into idolising success. They become blind to right and wrong, truth and lie, decency and malice…Ethical and intellectual capacity for judgement grow dull before the sheen of success and the desire to share in it.’ Although these words were written over eighty years ago they have a strangely contemporary ring to them. Not the only occasion when Bonhoeffer proves to be prophetic!

If this is the problem, what is the solution? Christ is at the centre of Bonhoeffer’s theology and spirituality so we should not be surprised to read him saying, ‘The form of the crucified disarms all thinking aimed at success, for it is a denial of judgement. Jesus is certainly no advocate for the successful in history, but neither does he lead a revolt of the failures against the successful. His concern is neither success nor failure but willing acceptance of the judgement of God.’ He goes on to say ‘Over against the successful, God sanctifies pain, lowliness, failure, poverty, loneliness and despair in the cross of Christ…The Yes of God to the Cross is judgement on the successful. But the unsuccessful must realise that it is not their lack of success…that lets them stand before God, but only their acceptance of the judgement of divine love.’ Whether we regard ourselves, or are regarded by others, as successful or unsuccessful, we all stand under the judgement, and we all experience the grace, of God’s love. Perhaps success should be measured by the degree to which we show it in our lives.

Prayer    

Loving God, 
help us to have no other gods before you, 
including that of success, 
but rather to worship and serve You alone, 
as we seek to live as disciples of Christ. 
Help us to follow his example 
in showing your love 
for those who are not successful
in the world’s eyes, 
for whatever reason, 
and may those who feel themselves to be failures
know your affirming love and acceptance.
Amen.