Territorial

Exodus 34:14 -- "...for you shall not worship any other god, the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a Jealous God."

image: Graeme Guy/topflighnaturephotography.blogspot.com

Holding my breath I struggled to keep a giggle from escaping my lips. Right in front of me, darting about at my Mom's hummingbird feeders was a band of grumpy, tiny titans defending their territory. You've never seen a "dog fight" until you've seen the masterful aerial acrobatics of dueling hummingbirds. It's truly astonishing. Who knew they could be so fierce? And that crazy little "ferocious" buzz/chirp they make! Just try to stay in a foul mood after witnessing an all-out hummingbird war!

They kind of have to be little tigers. Each bite-sized buzzing miracle has to have enough fuel to maintain an ultra-high metabolism AND stock up on enough sugars to help them make lengthy migratory journeys. Some of them have to accomplish this while caring for offspring! It's amazing, really. So it's no wonder that when they discover a stable food source they will guard it with their very lives. Every action they take declares MINE, MINE, MINE! And just wait until they go courting! The lines in the proverbial sand become ultra personal and hyper-competitive! The object of their affection has to feel that she and her teeny-tiny tots will have a proper and successful provider. My goodness, you've never seen such fierce jealousy!

Or - maybe, we have.

Over and over again in the Bible, God expresses His jealousy when it comes to you and me. In Exodus 34:14 He even declares that His very Name IS Jealous. Now that's saying something! And I can't help but tingle a little bit with pride at the thought that God loves me so much He wants us to be exclusive. It's really kind of romantic, if you think about it.

So . . . when do we return this unbridled and endless love?

Why do we NOT express devotion by fiercely fighting for God's territory? What will it take for us to start buzz/chirping over ground we've lost to complacency in the name of tolerance? Why do we continue to allow our boundary lines to be re-drawn, giving up countless acreage as we lose precious spiritual resources?

image: Graeme Guy/topflightnaturephotography.blogspot.com

It's now considered offensive to take my Bible to school. Language in public forums has become increasingly ugly and people no longer experience shock that OMG is the standard for expressing strong emotion. What happened to NOT taking the Lord's name in vain? And don't even get me started on what is now considered acceptable entertainment programming. As cultural and social lines continue to blur with world-wide instant media - so do the lines that used to clearly define right from wrong. It's sad. Really, really sad.

If even the tiniest little hummingbird knows the importance of standing firm to defend his territory - how much more steadfast should we of the larger brain stand in the war for the honor of God? Shouldn't it make us angry that we're losing ground? Shouldn't we take offense that praying and honoring God in our "free" country is offensive to others? I know, there are some that argue that the hummingbird HAS to be fierce, it's a matter of life and death. But so is living to honor our Creator. Each and every time we lose ground as Christian soldiers, we reduce the number of opportunities to shine a bright light into the dark shadows of humanity.

Maybe - just maybe - it's time we experienced some good, 'ole fashioned, territorial jealousy.