The first Commandment

“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.”
(Deuteronomy 5:6)

In today’s message we will reflect on two questions: “Who is our God?” and “What kinds of gods do we tend to serve?”

Who is our God? In the first commandment of the Ten Commandments, God reveals Himself to the chosen people as the one and only God. He is the One who delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. God is the One who still delivers His children today from the bondage of sin. He did not spare His only Son. He loved us so much that He offered Christ as a sacrifice for our sins. Through the death of Jesus on the cross, we have received forgiveness of sins. Who is our God? The Creator Lord, who rescues us from the condemnation of sin.

What gods do we serve? While Moses was on Mount Sinai—where God gave him the two stone tablets—the people did not hesitate to have a golden calf made and to worship it. Were they the only ones who glorified another god? No. We too serve foreign gods whenever we begin to worship something other than the Lord. It can be anything: fashion, sports, music, entertainment, the internet, money, power, science, mind-altering substances, careerism—and the list could go on. Every time we love and serve these more than the Lord, we too are worshiping other gods.

Who is your God? Whom do you serve with a sincere heart and with your whole life? Amen.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for Your only Son, through whose death on the cross You set us free from the bondage of sin. Help me to worship and serve You alone each day, not only with my words, but also with my actions. Amen.

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