Passionate Living

Commandment 1 - Put God First!

You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3, NIV)

The Ten Commandments were God’s gift to the Hebrew people. They had been delivered from slavery in Egypt and were headed to the Land God had promised them. God was in fact leading them by day - a pillar of cloud – and by night – a pillar of fire.

Remember God never gave us a command that was not for our protection or our provision – or both! This study will focus on understanding the practical implications of the ten commandments. For a more in-depth discussion of the place the ten commandments holds for the Christian today, please refer to the message: Ten Holy Commands.

The first of the the commandments established a monotheistic view of God - there is only one God:

And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:1-3, NIV)

Q: Can you phrase this command as a positive statement? Put God first!

God loves you and wants to provide for your every need. In order to receive His blessings, you must put Him first in your life. If you run, you have a hard time receiving His blessings.

It is like my dog, a little Chihuahua puppy. When it’s time for me to go somewhere and I can’t take him, he knows he is about to be put in the kitchen. I put out food and water and his little sleeping pad and plenty of puppy pads. But when I try to get him, he runs away. Now there is plenty in the house that he could get into and really get hurt. So the kitchen is the best place for him. But he cannot receive my best for him because he is running away from me.

We have to put God first. Jesus said it this way, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33, NIV). When Jesus said, “all these things,” He was speaking of the basic needs we all have for food, clothing, shelter, etc. This first commandment is vital because it is God’s way of providing for you and protecting you. If you run from God, it is impossible to receive what He wants to give you.