Rooted in Truth: A Devotion in the Ten CommandmentsSample

No Other Gods

For Instruction

The First Commandment teaches us that God is to be our everything. Nothing is to come before Him--whether it be another god or something that we have turned into another god. Even if we are not blatantly worshiping a false god, we still have a tendency in our sinfulness to elevate other things to the position God alone deserves.

Therefore, we need to ask ourselves what are the things that are vying for the Lord's place right now. This commandment comes first because it is the most important. All the other commandments hang on this one. If we get this one right, the rest will follow. If we get this one wrong, none of the others will matter.

For Giving Thanks

We can use this command to thank the Lord for revealing himself to us. The Ten Commandments begin with a review of what God did for Israel (Deut 5:6). We can be thankful for the great deliverance that God has given us in Jesus out of the house of our deep, oppressive slavery to sin. We can be thankful that God has called himself our God and freely offers us a relationship with Him (Luther). Take a moment now to thank God for this.

For Confession

Confess to the Lord anything and everything that you have placed above Him this week. Maybe you did not have time to spend with Him because you were busy pursuing entertainment instead. Perhaps you were tempted to trust in your own wisdom and ability to manage a situation instead of seeking Him and depending on Him. Could it be that you have valued the things of this world more than the glory of God? Confess whatever comes to mind and bring it to the Lord knowing that He will forgive the truly repentant heart and that He still desires to be your God.

For Prayer

Lord God, you are God alone. There is no god besides you. You are exalted above all of creation in majesty, glory, and power. You never change, you never age, you never grow tired, you never fail your people. You transcend all created and temporal things. You alone are the one who is from everlasting to everlasting. You are uncreated and eternal, God over all.