Thou shalt have no other gods before me. — Exodus 20:3
The Ten Commandments have been made highly controversial in our day. We used to display them on the walls as a guide for the rules of life. They used to be found in homes, the walls of courthouses and were even used in everyday discussion. Now, they are offensive and a “symbol of religion.”
The problem with the Ten Commandments is not that they are political or symbolic in any way. The issue that many have is that these simple and basic guidelines outlined by God identify sins that so many people cling to for temporary happiness. That could not be any more evidenced than here in the first commandment.
We live in a world that wants to replace God with anything other than God. We have a society that wants to accept anything you wish to worship as God, but the Bible is clear that there is only one God. This first commandment is about so much more than just God himself, but also the many other things that could stand in God’s way in our lives.
It does not have to be a golden idol, but can be many other things. For some, it’s a spouse or a child. For others, it may be their career, fame, or fortune. It can be anything that takes the attention and affection away from God. If we are all honest, we can no doubt admit that we have things that can sometimes get in the way of God in our life.
God should be the thing that we seek and desire the most. He should be the first thought we have in the morning and the last we have each night. Above all else, God should be first in our lives. God will not accept any place other than first. Is He first in your life?