The First Commandment

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.