Among the most popular movies are those in which the beautiful girl is swept away by the hero. The plot usually involves an evil competitor who attempts to lure the beloved away from the hero, and we all cheer when, in the end, the hero stomps his rival to bits. Every man longs to be the hero and every woman the beloved.

Jesus is a hero beyond all others. He stepped out of heaven to rescue you from an enemy bent on destroying you. No other hero even begins to compare with Him. He’s wonderfully possessive of His own.

In Zechariah 1:14, He declares, “I am extremely jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.” His jealousy is pure and fervent. He wants to be the center of your attention and your affections because He alone deserves that place.

Today, acknowledge that, among all your responsibilities and relationships, your Creator and Savior has the most pressing and rightful claim on your life. He owns you. Your spouse, children, and/or friends are precious, but Jesus must eclipse all others.

You mustn’t see this as a worry or weight but as the only way to bring balance and stability into all your other relationships. Rejoice that He is jealous for you and that His love for you is unshakable.

“You are never to bow down to another god because Yahweh, being jealous by nature, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14).