Back to the Basics: No other Gods

Exodus 20:3

““You shall have no other gods before me” are the first words of the 10 commandments given to Moses at Mount Sinai. Before God ever said, “Do not murder,” or “Do not steal,” and even before he said, “Do not commit adultery.” He said, “You shall have no other gods before me.” You may ask yourself why God started with these words? The reason for all other sins begins when He is no longer first.

From our Christian perspective, this commandment is not a stone tablet. It is about the throne of our hearts. John Wesley Always Taught, “whatever takes place in a God in the heart is an idol.” As I break down this commandment, we’re going to see the meaning of this commandment, the modern idols we face, a call to entire devotion of your life to him, and the blessing of a God-first life.

Take a moment to consider that God did not say, “Do not have many gods,” but rather, “Do not have any other gods before Me.” This means he should have no rivals, competitors, or substitutes in your life. God does not share his throne. He is not insecure, but he is God alone. Imagine if I said to my wife, “Honey, you are my number one wife.” That sounds a little wrong. Why does that sound so wrong? It is because marriage requires exclusivity. In the same way, God is not interested in being first among many gods. He must be the only God in your life.

We must have a heart fully devoted to God. Not one that is halfhearted. Not one that is divided. Our hearts must be fully surrendered to God. God is not satisfied with being just part of your life. He must be Lord of your whole life.

You may say, “Pastor Ken, I do not bow to statues.” I want to tell you that today’s idols are more subtle than they were back then. An idol is something you love, trust, or serve more than God himself. For many people, the first thing they touch in the morning is not a Bible but their phone. The last thing they look at before going to bed is not God’s word, but their screen. These devices may not look like idols, but they can function as ones. Whatever controls your attention will control your heart.

What are some other forms of Modern-day idols? Money is one of them. Jesus even said, “You cannot serve God and money.” Money makes for a terrible God; it promises security but delivers anxiety. Now I am not saying we need to be poor and give all our money away, but we must not love it so that it takes its place before God.

Another modern-day idol is success. Some people worship achievements over other things. I know in my family, it's quite clear, and it is what I grew up with. I even struggle with this as an idol. I want to be successful at everything I do, and we should, but it should never define our identity. Our identity is in Christ, not in our success. I love writing these devotionals and want them shared with millions of people. However, I am just happy if I reach a few people who read these, because God is glorified, not me.

Another thing that can be a modern-day idol is relationships. Having relationships is a very good thing, but it can become an idol like every other good thing. Having a family is a blessing from God, but we can put serving our family above serving God, especially when we do not want to offend them with the gospel.

Additionally, a modern-day idol can be oneself. I believe today America’s biggest idol is not money, but the worship of self. We live in a culture today that says, “follow your heart.” God, however, says, “surrender your heart to me.” When we surrender our hearts, God will change what our hearts desire so that it aligns with His.

Finally, it might be a little controversial, but doing “God’s work” can be a modern-day idol. You may ask, “Pastor Ken, how can doing God’s work be an idol?” When we start doing God’s work to bring us more glory than to bring glory to God, it becomes an idol. When we build ourselves up by doing God’s work, we do so with a heart not surrendered to God.

You see those bumper stickers around that say, " God is my copilot.” Just picture that for a moment, God is in the passenger seat, and you are driving. Many Christians live like that. Carrie Underwood sings a beautiful song, “Jesus Take the Wheel,” But we should not let him just take the wheel; we should give him the whole street. We must surrender our hearts and lives to him.

As I keep mentioning, for a Christian, sin is not just a behavior, but it is a heart condition. It is a divided heart between God and things of this world. God wants your whole heart. I cannot emphasize this enough. He does not want a part of it; he wants all of it. In the Old Testament, when they made a sacrifice on the altar, it had to be completely consumed. Not half burnt but completely burnt. God does not accept half sacrifices. He wants all of you.

Our Church Fathers warned us about “almost Christians”. These are people who attend church, sing songs, believe intellectually, but they never fully surrender. Being an almost Christian is not a Christian at all. God does not want to be almost first in your life. He must be first. I want to encourage you not to be an almost Christian.

You may ask, “Pastor Ken, why does God demand this?” That is because he alone created you, saved you, sustained you, and loves you. He is worthy, and we should love him with our whole being. Imagine for a second that you’re drowning in the ocean. A lifeguard jumps in and saves your life. You owe him everything. Jesus did more than just save your life. He saved and restored your soul. He deserves your devotion wholeheartedly.

There is a blessing that comes when God is first in your life. This command to be first in your life is not a restriction, but it is protection. When God is first, peace will come, purpose will come, and joy will come. Picture our Solar System for a minute, the planets orbit the sun in their unique order. If they leave their order, chaos will follow. God is our center, and when our lives revolve around Him, everything aligns. When our lives don’t center on him, everything falls apart.

There are dangers of ignoring this command. When God is not first, fear, sin, and confusion will increase. Jesus was talking to a young ruler, and Jesus told him what he needed to do to get eternal life. This young ruler loved his money more than God. He walked away from Jesus. It cost him eternal life. If that young man put God first, it would have changed everything for him, and if we put God first, it would have changed everything for us.

The Holy Spirit is asking today, “What is your idol? What competes with God in your life? What sits on his throne instead of him?” Is it money, Pride, comfort, or Control? God is saying, “No other Gods?” He does not want second place. He does not want a shared space. He wants first place and only place in your life.

Here’s the wonderful thing that God promises us when we remove the idols from our lives: God will fill the space. I tell you from practical experience, nothing compares to him. Money cannot love you. Success cannot save you. Only God can. There is a chair in your heart, and something sits there. Whatever sits in that chair is your God. Who or what sits there today?

Joshua said, “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Just imagine your heart as the throne room, Jesus is standing at the door, knocking. He will not force his way in, but he’ll wait till you open the door and invite him in. He is waiting there to be your king. Ask yourself, is God truly first in your life, or is something else replacing Him? He wants to remove your idols today and wants you to surrender your whole heart to him. If you want to put him first, just pray this simple prayer.

“Lord, I surrender everything to you.

No more idols in my life.

No more divided heart.

I want you to be my God alone.

Please sit on the throne of my life.”

The first commandment is still the most important. “You shall have no other gods before me.” When God is first in your life and nothing before him, everything else in your life will find its proper place. I tell you, when you do this, your life will never be the same again.