“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me.” (Exodus 20:2–3 NLT)

 

“You must not have any other god but me.” God placed this commandment first because it gets to the heart of the matter. If God isn’t first in your life, everything else is going to break down.

A man once asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” The Bible tells us that the man “went away sad, for he had many possessions” (see Mark 10:17–22 NLT).

This was not about the man’s possessions; this was about his heart. Jesus could tell that the man was in love with things, and that they were more important than God to him. He had another god before the true God and refused to give it up. That’s why he went away sad.

Everyone has a god. Everyone bows at some altar. Everyone worships someone or something. For some, it’s possessions or money. For others, it’s physical appearance. For others, it’s success or fame. Your god is what you spend your time pursuing. The problem is, if your god is anything but God, the result of your pursuit will be emptiness. No other god can bring you genuine joy, fulfillment, or purpose.

God isn’t an aloof deity who simply demands exclusive claim on our lives. Look at His words in Exodus 20:2: “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery” (NLT).

The words “I am the Lord” convey a profound and fundamental truth about God. With these words, He is refuting all other belief systems. He is revealing His personal nature. He is, in essence, saying, “I feel. I think. I act.”

To the pantheists who believe that everything is God, the Lord says, “No, I am God. Nothing else is.” To the polytheists who believe in many different gods, God doesn’t say, “We are the Lord your gods”; He says, “I am the Lord.” Singular. To the deists who believe that God is indifferent to His creation, that He has no plan or purpose for our lives, the Lord says, “I rescued you from slavery.”

He is the God who sees, hears, and cares. He leads, protects, and blesses His people. In the first commandment, God is saying, “I love you. You belong to Me. I brought you out of bondage. And because I’ve done all that for you, I expect that you will want to serve Me. I want an exclusive relationship with you, and you can have one with Me as well. I did these things for you. Now you should respond in kind. So, have no other gods before Me.”

We all worship someone or something. At what altar do you bow?

 

Reflection question: What might become a god for you if you’re not careful? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me.&rdquo; (Exodus 20:2&ndash;3 NLT)
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&ldquo;You must not have any other god but me.&rdquo; God placed this commandment first because it gets to the heart of the matter. If God isn&rsquo;t first in your life, everything else is going to break down.
A man once asked Jesus, &ldquo;Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?&rdquo; Jesus said, &ldquo;Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.&rdquo; The Bible tells us that the man &ldquo;went away sad, for he had many possessions&rdquo; (see Mark 10:17&ndash;22 NLT).
This was not about the man&rsquo;s possessions; this was about his heart. Jesus could tell that the man was in love with things, and that they were more important than God to him. He had another god before the true God and refused to give it up. That&rsquo;s why he went away sad.
Everyone has a god. Everyone bows at some altar. Everyone worships someone or something. For some, it&rsquo;s possessions or money. For others, it&rsquo;s physical appearance. For others, it&rsquo;s success or fame. Your god is what you spend your time pursuing. The problem is, if your god is anything but God, the result of your pursuit will be emptiness. No other god can bring you genuine joy, fulfillment, or purpose.
God isn&rsquo;t an aloof deity who simply demands exclusive claim on our lives. Look at His words in Exodus 20:2: &ldquo;I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery&rdquo; (NLT).
The words &ldquo;I am the Lord&rdquo; convey a profound and fundamental truth about God. With these words, He is refuting all other belief systems. He is revealing His personal nature. He is, in essence, saying, &ldquo;I feel. I think. I act.&rdquo;
To the pantheists who believe that everything is God, the Lord says, &ldquo;No, I am God. Nothing else is.&rdquo; To the polytheists who believe in many different gods, God doesn&rsquo;t say, &ldquo;We are the Lord your gods&rdquo;; He says, &ldquo;I am the Lord.&rdquo; Singular. To the deists who believe that God is indifferent to His creation, that He has no plan or purpose for our lives, the Lord says, &ldquo;I rescued you from slavery.&rdquo;
He is the God who sees, hears, and cares. He leads, protects, and blesses His people. In the first commandment, God is saying, &ldquo;I love you. You belong to Me. I brought you out of bondage. And because I&rsquo;ve done all that for you, I expect that you will want to serve Me. I want an exclusive relationship with you, and you can have one with Me as well. I did these things for you. Now you should respond in kind. So, have no other gods before Me.&rdquo;
We all worship someone or something. At what altar do you bow?
&nbsp;
Reflection question: What might become a god for you if you&rsquo;re not careful?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

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