Let us start from The Beginning

These words are the first of many, given to His people as the standard of which a man's heart shall be judged. 

This is His first commandment.


Exodus
20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Living in Spirit, we do come to understand, that our eternal usefulness is dependant on how much we invest in our LORD here, today, in this life on earth. Do we, as Christians, follow the Ten Commandments? Do we truly love God with all our hearts, souls and minds? And do we still, seek for discernment and pray steadfastly for His will to be our own? 
I do. I pray you do as well, amen. 

God made these words special. Like, really special, and they are His first words for a very important reason. Would you want to spend eternity not knowing if the guy next to you would turn from our LORD and give his heart to another? Me either.
God, in all His perfection knows His plan and His people will forever take part in carrying out His will. Therefore, His people must have hearts that are truly and purely His. This begins, and truly ends with His first commandment.

Exodus
18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. 


22:20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed. 

23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. 

The LORD will not stand for any man, for His sake OR for our own, who will turn to any god but He who is the GOD. 

So what is a god? By what measure do we set a standard of divinity and power? Sadly, most of us are far from grace in reality when it comes to this first and all important commandment. 
Any “thing" we place above God within our lives, however small, for however briefly, is putting other gods before the Almighty.
That greed, that power, those clothes and cars, even those twinges of doubt and worry over life's discrepancies… all shorten our faith and we are but for a moment at times, showing God that we will turn from Him.

Matthew
6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

This scripture in Matthew is literal in so many ways. Clearly we cannot claim to love God with all we are and yet be of this world. We must also see how this applies to losing faith, giving into flesh, fear, doubt and how anything, be it material or simply an emotion can quickly become god like if we feed it. 

Jeremiah
17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 
And oh how we as Christians fall for this. That serpent knows the depths of your heart as well and he does make a quick work of your love for your pastor, your leaders in faith, your friends.
We must stay ever close to God and focus on the fruit of those around us so that we do not lay adoration and glory upon any man. 

Matthew
15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 

Fruit. Fruit. Fruit. 

And then there's the saddest part of us all...

Acts
17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. 

Remember with each desire of your heart, every feeling of lust, envy, fear, worry and yearning of the flesh, we are worshipping the unknown god. 
Our Father loves us to a measure our physical selves simply cannot comprehend. He wants and needs every piece of who we are to want Him and to love Him, this so we may forever be a part of leading others to becoming sons of THE LIVING GOD!! 

Let us love with our whole heart the God we know. Our Father who created us in His image, to forever remain ALIVE in Him eternally, fulfilling His will. 

Mark
12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. 

Be blessed xo