“You shall have no other gods before me” (Deuteronomy 5:7).
A more accurate translation of this famous verse is this—you shall have no other gods besides me. I think this commandment is the most important one of all in God’s eyes. It must be, because He listed it first.
Do you struggle with relating it to life in the modern world? I did, before I moved to Asia.
Now I see that much of the world does worship other gods. Not only do they worship other gods instead of God the Father, but they worship other gods and our God too.
God says we must worship Him only. There can be no other deities in our lives.
This is hard for many people who have been raised praying to Mary and the saints, but these words are in the Bible.
This concept is hard for those of us who work with precious Muslim, Buddhist, or animist people, but these words are in the Bible.
I don’t pretend to be a theologian, so it is my purpose only to challenge you to find out for yourself what this means.
Pray and ask God to really explain this to you. What does it mean to worship God alone?
Read the Bible. God is searching for people who will commit to serve only Him. Realize that all the commandments in the Bible are given to us because God wants the best for us. He wants us to know the truth and not believe lies.
Find out for yourself exactly what this commandment means. I think you will then understand how to apply it positively to your life.
Kimberly Snider is a missionary to the Philippines.
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