Avoid False Gods

Some might think that obeying the First Commandment is relatively simple, since they do not worship statues of pagan gods. But you could easily violate it without realizing it. People who worship false gods are most often oblivious to that fact. Whatever occupies your interest and/or time more than anything else could well be your god. Idolatry, strictly speaking, is the worship of idols. But there is another less apparent form of idolatry. This is the blind or excessive devotion to anything. The object of such devotion becomes a false god and the blind devotee becomes an idolater.

Probably the “god” that people most often put before the true God is money. To many, the chance of winning a lottery or contest is their most treasured “religious experience.” Playing the lottery is at an all-time high. Television commercials promote lotteries, sending people straight into fantasies. They buy tickets weekly, or even daily, sometimes leading to financial ruin.

Another false god that countless millions worship is politics. Some, especially conspiracy theorists, exalt their political ideology as a virtual religion. While there may be some credibility to many of these theories, people obsessed by them are blinded to God’s purpose and plan of salvation. They only look at life through the narrow portal of their particular theory. Avoid anything that stands between you and the truth of God!

Many who fall into forms of liberalism generally oppose everything associated with God. Their own ideology is their false god, which credits evolution as the origin of all life. These people are generally the architects and producers of the secular, anti-religious media, which offer today’s generation new depths of sex and violence, disguised as entertainment. Though elevated in university systems and controlling public education, liberal intellectuals almost invariably promote the opposite of God’s truth.

Another pitfall that traps most people is an almost religious reverence for the medical field. A great many people show far more respect to doctors and hospitals than to God. Although the medical profession has its place and does fill a real need, many seem to stand in awe of each new medical breakthrough more than of the God who made the amazing human body. They place their trust and hope in the false gods of modern medicine and scientific research to deliver mankind from all sickness and disease. Again, not all medical breakthroughs and scientific research are bad, but it is a mistake to put hope and trust in this rather than God. As you draw closer to God, you will come to realize that much better results are possible by looking to Him for healing. God instructs His servants to seek His intervention in matters of healing (James. 5:14-15), and often describes Himself as the God that heals (Ex. 15:26).

It is important to understand that Jesus Christ carried out a dual ministry: (1) preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and (2) healing the sick and casting out demons (see Luke 4:18 and Luke 7:22). The original apostles continued in this same pattern.

In contrast to the first century, healing today occurs primarily within the Church, rather than in dramatic public “healings.” Pseudo-healers have made a mockery of healing, through circus sideshow fakery. Modern medicine may help treat the effects of disease, but only God can truly heal.

Others worship sports figures, entertainers or themselves in place of God.

Almost all turn to materialism, in one form or another, to fulfil their lives. Some turn to cars, others to clothing, and still others to a combination of every material thing they can possibly obtain. So many do this in a vain attempt to fill the void that exists within their lives—the absence of God’s Holy Spirit.

Know the Real God

The most basic knowledge about the God of the Bible is almost universally lacking today. This is illustrated by just one survey done in 2008 that yielded an incredible finding. Only 62 percent of Jewish people believe that God is male. With a few of the other 38 percent saying He is female, most of the others profess they “do not know.”

The way to know the real God of the Bible is to seek Him above all else. Read—study—the Bible alongside our literature. This will help you learn to fear and honour God. It will help you gain doctrinal understanding as you become better grounded in the truth. Your relationship with God also hinges upon your contact with Him in sincere, humble prayer. Read the Psalms on your knees in prayer just as if the words were your own. This will help make these words eventually become your own praise toward God. Try this with Psalms 19:1-14, 119:1-176 or various other chapters you find inspiring.

Ask God to in still within you a proper fear and respect for Him, beginning with His name. If you do this, you will come to view God with greater awe. Strive to fill your mind with uplifting thoughts on the wonders of His creation. Learn to appreciate His handiwork, such as the different kinds of trees, the unique designs of flowers, the incredible organization of beehives and the mysterious migration of birds. Think about the huge spiralling galaxies and remind yourself that God knows every individual star—countless billions of them—by name (Psa. 147:4). And determine to appreciate His incredible wisdom and forethought, which are reflected throughout His awesome creation. It daily testifies to His genius.

People who aspire to follow God, while enduring this hostile world, must be on guard not to allow anything to come between them and God. Be aware that human nature tends to set up false gods in place of the true God. Seek to honour and treasure God. Some people are reluctant to praise Him, due to the way pseudo-Christians resort to sanctimonious gyrations in their “worship.” Do not allow this to stop you from learning to do this properly. We can praise God through proper hymns and private prayer. Learn the correct way to praise God, as David and others did in the Psalms and other scriptures. It will then be possible to praise God with your own original thoughts and words. Best of all, you will have been trained to praise God as He has instructed, not as pseudo-Christians do!

“You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me”

The First Commandment and its immediate implications are also found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one [the correct meaning is “only” or “alone”] LORD: and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: And you shall teach them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the posts of your house, and on your gates.”

Human beings were designed to practice the Ten Commandments as a way of life. God commands that we also teach them to our children, discuss them and meditate upon them. A host of passages declare as much.

What If...?

Let’s ask: what if the entire world kept the First Commandment? To begin with, there would be no false religion—none! If all humanity put the true God first, seeking His wisdom and guidance, then wrong or incomplete concepts in all areas of life would disappear. Over 99% of religion today is false, so there would be an immediate and DRAMATIC change all over the earth. As the world came to know and fear the true God, it would learn that His system of government and culture—and every aspect of civilization—should be followed. Mankind would look sincerely into His Word to seek true wisdom and understanding—and God would grant them.

By knowing and fearing the true God, the world would soon come to appreciate and obey the other nine commandments. The gospel of the kingdom of God has everything to do with Jesus Christ coming with the saints to rule the world, administering the laws of God to all nations. Today, only a relative few individuals are willing to truly worship the God of the Bible. They are now by choice, in effect, receiving, and experiencing, a sneak preview of the millennial rule of Christ—when the whole world will be required to obey the true God.

Finally, if the whole world kept only one of the Ten Commandments, this First Commandment would be the most important. Consider. Knowledge of the true God would lead them into every one of the other truths of God, including all the other commandments.