ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTION 
M.I.T. Pocahontas Simmons          

Exodus 32:1 - When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come make us gods who will go before us.” (NIV)

Galatians 5:1 - It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (NIV)

Often I find myself in the grocery store trying to identify the difference between the generic and the brand name. The generic brand claims its likeness to the original product, however the difference is easily seen but sometimes the convenience of the cheaper version convinces us to settle for less.

In the absence of Moses, the children of Israel became impatient, and transitioned from deliverance through the awesome power of God to bondage by creating a generic to follow. Although this measure of desperation may seem ridiculous, we go to the same extreme today. In today’s society, we become impatient with God, lose the faith, and resort to artificial love and surface joy. We perfect our appearance and acquire worthless possessions in search of happiness outside of Christ to fulfill us. These desires appear to fill the void, fuel erratic behavior, and desensitize us to the truth.

The truth is substitutions are not the real thing; you can never substitute love and the abundant life found in Christ, so why settle for a cheap flawed temporary fix? You are priceless and only deserve the best. There are consequences to compromise due to loneliness, dissatisfaction, and void filling. Great things take sacrifice and persistence, if you commit to total submission and give God full control, you will gain the real thing and never be the same.

God I thank you for your faithfulness and loving kindness. I repent for the times where I have had an unsatisfied heart and a defeated mindset. Lord, I yield my will to yours and ask that you help me clean out anything not of you so that you become the source of my joy, love, and strength. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.