Exhortation- First Commandment

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
We live in an era in which we think we are impervious to breaking this commandment. We do not worship idols. But idolatry is not dead and gone and it even creeps into our lives with some regularity. We are to worship God in spirit and in truth. He calls us to follow Him, obeying all that He has told us. While we do not bow our knees to literal idols, we do have many opportunities to serve someone or something other than the one true God.

We are at the beginning of a new year and this is a good time to examine our hearts and to see if there are gods competing with the one true God for our affections. Jesus calls us to hate mother and father compared to loving and serving Him. This means that whenever you choose to love someone or do something different than how God has called you to love or to act, then you are choosing to follow a false God, whether that God is your own foolish wisdom or some other competing voice. It may be financial decisions where you have not been obedient. It may be listening to false friends or even family who have led you astray. Perhaps you have sought the approval of men or other women more than the approval of God? Perhaps base pleasures have taken hold of you?

There are many temptations in the world and there always will be. I am not speaking particularly, of being tempted. I am talking about when you are continuing in a disobedient behavior and have justified it somehow, outside of biblical grounds. Once you do that, you are serving a false god. The only option is to repent and to do right today. You may not get out of the mess you have made immediately but by choosing to do right, God will lead you into a land of blessing.