Every parent wants what is best for their child. They want to teach them the right things in life. I don't know a single parent who would want another person to take over their responsibility. They want to have the primary relationship with their children. They are protective of outside influences in their children's lives. Good parents guard their children. You could almost say that they are jealous. It's the same way with God – He wants what is best for us. He wants to have our primary relationship. It upsets Him when we go off and look up to another. He is a Jealous god.
Sometimes we neglect our relationship with the Lord and we don't even realize we are doing it. Our lips may say, "Lord, Lord", but our hearts are far from Him. The deal is - we all do it sometimes. Maybe the problem is that He is always there, and new bright and shiny things come and take our attention away. We forget that He IS ALWAYS there, and bright and shiny things become dull and rusty things. He is always there for us. Loyalty should count for something. Oh, but there always seems to be something new competing for our devotion over the horizon. 
Chip Ingram once said that worship is like dancing with god. I like that idea. Our relationship with the Lord is like a dance. It moves and swirls as we interact with each other. It can be awkward at first, but as we become better at it, it can become a beautiful dance. Like a father with a daughter, God likes to dance with us. But like a lover with a mate, sometimes He becomes jealous when we go off and dance too much with others. He steps in and taps us on the shoulder and says, "Excuse me, can I have this dance?" And we say, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm dancing with my career or with my education right now." He says, "I can see that." Sometimes He taps us on the shoulder and says, "May I have this dance?" And we say, "But I'm dancing with my house or with my car right now." And He can see that, too.1. Track your money. Your checkbook is probably the biggest indicator of your commitment to the Lord. Money is difficult to give up. We spend our entire lives trying to be secure and happy. Sometimes we falsely believe that money will give us that. Do we trust God or money? Do we tithe? Do we contribute to the building up the Kingdom?
2. Track your time. Do you fulfill your church responsibilities or does it take too much time? What do you do in your spare time? Are you consecrating your efforts to God? Does the tv get more attention than the scriptures? Does prayer take second place to the internet?
3. What are your aspirations for the future? Where do you find your thoughts going in those unguarded lazy moments? Do you find yourself in silent prayer? Do you think of the Lord even when you aren't engaged in church activity? Do you think of His coming, of heaven, of eternal life?
We show what we care about by what we do. We show what is important to us by what we focus on. It's true that sometimes we fail. We may not have paid a full tithe that year. We might occasionally miss our home teaching assignment. We all can do better. But look at your track record. How does it look over the long road? Where is your heart? How do you think the Lord feels when He sees our track record? How do you feel? If you feel bad, then do better.Our dance with the Lord should become beautiful. He is our partner in the dance. It is a dance which lasts for life. As we learn our partner's moves, He helps us to perfect our step. There is a beauty in the relationship; it becomes a graceful ballet of life. But if we neglect our partner, we may not only not perfect the dance, we may ultimately end up leaving with a different partner all together.
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