Have No Other Gods Before Me

Some of the Ten Commandments are easy for my to keep. For example, I'm fairly sure I will never murder anybody and I am also sure I won't ever worship any other God. Well, at least I used to believe that. You see, that Commandment, the very first one, would be easy for me to keep because I don't even know any other Gods. Sure, just like you, I learned about all the Greek and Roman Gods in Lit. classes in school, but I never did believe in those "gods". So how many other gods are there? Plenty!

A "God" that the Bible speaks about can be anything from money, to your career, or even to your family. I think anything that occupies most of our mind and heart is our "God". Is that "God" Jesus in your life? I know, this one is a hard one! Obviously we need money, our careers, and our family. But those things must never come before God. A good way for us to tell where our priorities are is for us to take a glance at our checkbook and our appointment book. Those are two good indicators of our priorities. Obviously we can't just let everything go and focus only on God. But while we are focusing on other things, do we still have God in mind? Do we start our day reading His Word and seeking His will for the day? We make many decisions throughout the day. Do we consult Him first? Do we actively look for a way to honor Him each day? Here's a challenge for both of us today: Let's look very hard for at least one way we could show others we are Christians. It doesn't have to necessarily be anything big. Just a simple smile and "how are you today" or "here, let me get that door for you" would make a great start. We are Christians with a promise of Everlasting Life! Let's share that with everybody today and everyday! Perhaps G.O.D. could stand for Give Ourselves Daily. If you will notice, the Ten Commandments all revolve around our relationships with God and with others.

Exodus 20:1 says, "You shall have no other Gods before Me."

Father, please forgive us for not always putting You first. Please give us the desire and show us how to always keep You at the top of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.