And God spoke all these words, saying, “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.” Exodus 20:1–3
Q: What is the first commandment?
A: You shall have no other gods before Me.
What does this mean?
We should worship, love, and trust in God more than anything else.
Do you know where the word worship comes from? It literally means to ascribe worth to something. The word worship is very close to the word worth. Make sense?
Why are we tempted to ascribe ultimate worth (worship) to things that are not God? One reason may be because things that are not God are experienced in everyday life. We can see, touch, taste, and hear lots of really amazing things in God’s creation. But just because something is good doesn’t mean that it makes for a good God. A good thing still makes for a bad God.
But it’s hard to remember this sometimes, isn’t it? All this great stuff that He has made is so ingrained into our lives that we can lose sight of the giver as we obsess over the gift.
Read 2 Corinthians 4:16–18:
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
- Why does Paul, the author of this letter to the Corinthian church, encourage us to focus on things, like God, that are unseen?
- What are some “seen” things that you are tempted to worship instead of God?
- Are those good things? Why do they become bad god things?
Prayer
Our Father, thank You for giving us so many amazing gifts. Help us to remember that all the gifts that You have given us are not You and should never replace You. Help us to love You as the giver of these gifts more than the gifts themselves. In Jesus’ name. Amen.