An infinitely loving God is jealous of anything and anyone who competes with Him for our devotion. How could a loving God stand idly by while we were drawn away from the source of our life? How could He remain indifferent while we walked away from His blessing and foolishly embraced cursing? He simply loves us too much to stand on the sidelines and allow us to squander the only life we have.
So, God jealously guards His relationship with us. He knows if a new job or work assignment will become more important to us than He is. God understands which material possessions or pleasures will influence our behavior more than will His word. He recognizes whose voice carries more weight with us than His does. As a result, God refuses to be pushed to our life’s periphery.
God will adamantly oppose anything that creeps between you and Him. If need be, He may even remove the seductive rival from you. Have you recently lost something you considered important? Perhaps it was a job, or finances, or a relationship, or a possession. Could it be that God allowed it to be lost so He could once again enjoy your undivided devotion?