Thursday, March 11, 2021
The First Commandment
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:2-3 NKJV).
If you or I had written the Ten Commandments, we may have prioritized some over others. For instance, we might say the most important commandments are “you shall not murder” and “you shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:13-14 NKJV).
After all, no matter how our culture is going, it seems like we could all agree that murder and adultery are wrong.
Yet it’s interesting how God began the Ten Commandments: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me” (verses 2-3 NKJV).
The first commandment deals with everything. Jesus said, “‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30 NKJV).
So, if we get this down, then we’ll have the Ten Commandments working in our lives. If we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, then we won’t have other gods before Him. We won’t bow down before false images of God or take His name in vain.
And if we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, then we’ll set aside a day to worship Him. We won’t steal from others or lie to them or murder them, and so forth. The reality is that if we love God, then we’ll do the right thing. And we’ll want to honor Him in the right way.
It all starts with God’s place in our lives because we’ll serve what we worship. If God isn’t number one in your life, then everything else will be in chaos. But if God is number one in our lives, then everything else will find its proper balance.
Copyright © 2021 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of Marvel at the Moon by Levi Lusko
In this fantastic 90-day devotional, author and pastor Levi Lusko uses illuminating stories, biblical teaching, and eye-opening surprises about outer space to show kids that they’re never alone because God is always with them. A copy of this beautifully illustrated book will be mailed to you when you make a gift of support to Harvest Ministries this month.