Have no other gods before me

Ten Commandments | The first commandment | Ian Goodman
Today we are looking at the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” This commandment is first in the list for a reason. All other commandments depend on this one, and all other commandments will be happily obeyed if we can obey this one. Think about this: why does a person covet? Because they have made an idol of anything other than God. Why does a person lie? Because they have made an idol of something that the lie is designed to protect - a reputation, a relationship, a financial benefit. If a person is willing to lie to gain or protect these then they have become an idol. Why does a person disobey parents? Because they have made an idol of their own wisdom. The first commandment is the commandment that undergirds all other commandments. If we manage to obey this one then we manage to obey the others also.
The essence of the first commandment is this: you are to take God as your God, and you are to take no other god as your God. The key idea is this: God must be your center, your ground, and your goal. He must be your center in the sense that everything in your life must revolve around Him. He must be your ground in that everything in your life must be based on Him and His word, and, He must be your goal in that everything in your life must be oriented toward Him and His glory. Nothing else must occupy these spaces in your life. Not your children, not your wife, not your job, not your hobbies, not even your life itself. God must be your all in all!
This is not only what is commanded, but it is also the only way to be truly happy. Nothing else can truly fill those places in a safe and satisfying way. If anything other than God is at your center then you have something sinful and temporary at your center. Nothing other than God will satisfy your soul. Nothing other than God will prove to be a lasting joy. Nothing other than God will remain steadfast and never fail you or let you down.
What all this means, however, is that none of us have ever truly obeyed the first commandment. We are all idolaters and sinners. But the good news is there is a way to be forgiven for this sin, and there is a way to grow in grace toward greater and greater obedience. It is through Jesus Christ who loved the Father perfectly in everything, and died to atone for all our idolatry.