No Other Gods – The First Commandment

No Other Gods

Exodus 20:2, 3

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”

Review each of the meditations from the past week. We must master obedience to this first commandment, for we will stumble at every subsequent one unless we are constantly reinforcing the primacy of this one in our souls. At issue is devotion – heartfelt love, commitment of time, dedication of possessions, and daily obedience. How will you be able to recognize when other “gods” are vying for your worship and service? How will you resist them?

Pray

Teach me to love You, Lord, with everything I am, all that I possess, all the time, in every relationship, role, and responsibility. Crowd my mind with tokens of Your steadfast love and faithfulness. Remind me of the grace You have shown me in Jesus. Speak to me of the foolhardiness of serving any other “god” beside You. Fill my heart with the joy of my salvation and great eagerness to be pleasing always to You.

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.