“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
This first and primary commandment is the foundation for all the commandments to follow. God reminds his people who he is and what he has done for them in Exodus 20:2, and then commands his people to put him first, above all else. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And as our knowledge of God’s character increases, so does our desire to love and worship him above all else. Our knowledge of and intimacy with God is increased through familiarity with his word and time spent in conversation with him through prayer.
Questions
- What characteristics of God’s nature are most difficult for you to grasp?
- What characteristics of God’s nature are most exciting to you?
- What things do you worship with your time, money, love, or attention above God? How might you worship God first with these things?
- Does your small group put God first in its conversations, time, and practices?
Prayer
Lord God, we thank you for revealing yourself to us in your word. Please send your Spirit to guide us as we seek to worship you rightly. Give us an unquenchable thirst to know you more intimately and deeply. Help us to see how we’ve loved other people or things above you. We pray that nothing would be more delightful to us than spending time with you. Help us to become a group that values knowing you above all and encourages others to know you better. You alone are worthy of our worship! We praise you and thank you for the guidelines you have given us in your word. Amen.
This devotion is adapted from the Ten Commandments Study Guide.
