Start Here

It’s interesting to me how God chose to begin the Ten Commandments.

He started with two commands that deal with everything: “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods” (Exodus 20:3–5 NLT).

That covers it all. If you get this down, then you will have the Ten Commandments working in your life. Jesus said, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37–38 NLT).

If we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, then we’re not going to have another God before Him. We’re not going to bow down before a false image of God. We’re not going to take his name in vain, and we’ll set a day aside to worship Him.

If we love our neighbors as ourselves, we’re not going to steal from them. We’re not going to lie to them. We’re not going to murder them.

The reality of it is that if we love God, we will do the right thing. We will want to honor Him in the right way.

However, it all starts with how we prioritize God in our lives because we will serve what we worship. If God is number one in our lives, then everything else will find its proper balance. On the other hand, if God is not number one in our lives, then everything else will be in chaos.