Ten Commandments: No Other Gods

Chuckle: A minister said to a woman, "It is wonderful how much you have collected for the hospital." She replied, "Well I feel I owe so much to the hospital -- you know my husband died there!"

Quote: “The Ten Commandments aren’t prefaced with 'If you’re in the mood.'" --Dr. Laura Schlessinger

Then God instructed the people as follows: "I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. Do not worship any other gods besides me" (Exodus 20:1-3 NLT). "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (KJV).

The Ten Commandments were inscribed on two tablets of stone that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. The first four commands are about the nature of God and deal with our relationship to Him: One God; Idols; His Name; and the Sabbath. The last six commands deal with our relationships with other people.

As a minister and pastor, my greatest challenge is not preaching, teaching, counseling, or administering. My greatest challenge is maintaining a close, personal, loving, and growing relationship with Jesus Christ -- Keeping God first in my life -- allowing nothing else to become more important to me than Him. I have learned that If the first commandment is kept the way God intended, the other nine are no problem at all. Hard work for the Lord isn't enough -- it's our relationship with Him that concerns God -- the condition of our hearts toward Him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV). The bottom line: You should put God first in everything you do so He can direct your path. Let God set your plans and priorities -- Don't just squeeze Him into your otherwise busy and hectic schedule. You see, our understanding is flawed by sin and is totally inadequate. "There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12 NIV).

Today, many simply fail to consider God in their daily lives. They are not necessarily or deliberately against God. They simply don't know God or have chosen to ignore Him. On a typical day in your life, where does God fit in? He wants to be your only God -- He wants to care for you -- He is committed to you even when you fail -- He is never done with you and considers you a work in progress. When God is first in your life, it will impact the lives of others. "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (I Peter 3:15 NIV).

Simply stated, we should always keep Him first. After all He's done for me, why should I put anything or anyone ahead of Him in my life? God gives us love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, comfort, blessings, guidance, and strength. He only asks that we let nothing become a god by becoming more important to us than He is. Sounds reasonable to me! Why should I turn to some other god who cannot measure up?

Love, Jerry & Dotse