And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exodus 20:1-4
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When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He led them to Mount Sinai where He gave the Ten Commandments, as well as other laws under which His people were to live.Â
In beginning the Ten Commandments, without preamble or introduction, God declared that He alone is worthy of our allegiance, devotion, and love. This is the first commandment for a reason—because only as we follow it are we living as God demands.Â
When Jesus was questioned about the most important of the commandments given, He began where God had with Moses—putting God first. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38).
As we approach the start of a new year, it is crucial for us to keep our focus and priorities on what matters most. No one drifts into holiness or successful and victorious Christian living. That only comes as we align our priorities with God’s priorities, putting His desires and commands ahead of our own. The temptation to put something else in God’s place has been drawing people away from Him for thousands of years. But no matter how much we rationalize it or try to explain it away, if we do not love God above all else, we are sinning. And while all sin is bad and hated by God, there is nothing that can compare to breaking the most important of all the commandments. Indeed, it is keeping this first commandment that helps us overcome the temptation to all other sins. If we love God first, then most things of the world lose their allure.
