Who's Number One?

You shall have no other gods before Me.

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Notice what the first commandment does NOT say. It doesn't say instead of Me. It doesn't say that there are no other gods. The key to understanding what the first commandment means lies in those two last words: before Me.
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When we look at Jewish history, we can clearly see what God meant. The Israelites were continually chasing after the gods of the nations around them, forgetting all Jehovah had done for them, and making sacrifices to all kinds of foreign idols.
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We enlightened Americans almost gloss over this commandment as though it no longer applies to us.
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But take a closer look at those two little words: before Me. God is saying that He must be number one in your heart or He is not your God at all. It is not enough to acknowledge Him or agree that He is God Almighty, the Creator. Satan does the same thing.
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God is reminding us here that He must be our top priority in life. Every moment of every day. When we let something or someone rise to usurp that spot, we are violating the first commandment.
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"Oh, I don't do that," you might say. "I read my Bible and pray faithfully. I go to church every Sunday. I live like a Christian. I'm sure I keep the first commandment."
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Oh, really?

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What are you most passionate about? What was the last thing you were really excited about?
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A sports competition? A raise at work? A shopping spree? A hobby?
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If given some free time, how do you usually want to spend it?
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Watching sports? Going to the movies? Watching TV?
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Now, for the tough one: Who or what occupies the seat of greatest love in your heart?
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Your kids? Your spouse? A romance? Your career? Your ministry?
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None of those things are wrong. We are to love our families, enjoy our work, take some time to relax. But where does your passion lie?
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You can easily identify it by asking yourself this question: What is the one thing in my life I am afraid to give to God because He might take it from me?
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Whatever we cannot offer up to God becomes our god. And that's exactly what He means when he says to have no other gods before Him. We can't hide behind devoted religiosity, either. He can spot a self-righteous phony three galaxies away.
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It's not because He's so picky and needy that he peers over our shoulder, nagging us about our likes and favorites. It is because He knows that until He is number one in our lives in every area, we will get ourselves into trouble. We chase after the wrong things, rely on other people or circumstances to meet needs only He can meet, and end up wasting all the potential He gave us.
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Maybe the first commandment is worth another look. If we could only get that one down, we wouldn't even need the other nine.
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