Who's on First, part 2

So today we take a look at the first commandment, found in Exodus 20:3, "You shall have no other gods before me."  Take a moment to register your immediate reaction - is it relief?  Is it frustration?  Maybe a little bit of anger?  We can feel relief - I don't want any other gods, this shows me that God wants a one-on-one relationship with me.  We can feel frustration - God's kinda uppity, ain't He?  We can feel anger - Who does He think He is?

You know, feelings are just that - feelings.  They aren't right or wrong, they just are.  Now, unresolved feelings - that's a whole different ballgame.  In my opinion, unresolved feelings are the quickest way to sin.  Unresolved anger becomes hate.  Unresolved guilt becomes self-revulsion.  Unresolved frustration becomes selfishness.  So whatever your immediate reaction is to this first revelation from God, share it with Him.  I know you know that He already knows, but sometimes it helps to be reminded.  Tell Him what He knows!  What happens when we do that?

We are honoring the first commandment!  We are keeping God in His rightful place - as the ONLY God in our lives.  When we honor the commandment to keep God as the only God, we honor Him.  Even if you're going to Him with anger, or frustration, or guilt - whatever - when you honor Him with your voice, you are admitting to Him that He alone is God.  Even if the voice quivers and wavers, reaching out with shaky hands and a child-like trust.

As a Christian, there's a promise right at the beginning of this list of Commandments - it's that God wants us to only have Him, and He will only have us.  Too many of us have compromised God by putting Him "first on our priority list."  Have you noticed in your life that God's not gonna be put on a list?  He is the list!  A Christian honoring the first commandment has a priority list that looks like this:

1. Serve Jesus.
2. Serve Jesus by honoring my spouse.
3. Serve Jesus by loving my kids.
4. Serve Jesus by working in my church.
5. Serve Jesus by doing my best in the workplace.
6. Serve Jesus.
7. Serve Jesus.
8. Serve Jesus.

He's the list!  He's everything.  He's it - look at Revelation 20:13: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."  Why would we want to have any other gods before Him, when He is IT? 

Examine your heart today.  Is God everything for you?  Is He all things?  Is He the ONLY God that you have in your life, on your mind, and in your heart?