Lesson 14: God’s Holiness Generates a Reminder, part 7

The first commandment reminding us that God is Holy and we are not is, “You shall have no other gods.”

Exodus 20:1-3 - “And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me."

The very first test God puts us through to reveal His Holiness and our sinfulness is the prohibition of worshiping other gods. Now you might say, "I don't worship other gods. I know God exists. I believe in Him." It is one thing to say we believe in and worship God, but it is another thing to demonstrate it with our behavior. You see, the word "worship" means "to have a reverence for, to pay homage to, or show obedience to." Therefore, if you want to know a person's God, then all you have to do is look at how they behave. Why? Because whoever dictates your behavior IS your god.

For instance, many people say they worship God while in reality their friends tell them what to do. They say, "Hey, come on. Everybody is doing it. You do not want to be a loser, do you?" And the next thing you know, people are more concerned about what their friends might think than what God thinks. This makes their friends, in essence, their god.

Many people say they worship God but in reality their employer tells them what to do. They say, "It is not really lying, it is just withholding information. Besides, you do not want to lose your job, do you?" The next thing you know, people are more afraid of disobeying their employer than they are of God. This makes their employer their god.


Many people say they worship God but in reality their society tells them what to do. They say, "The polls say that the majority of people think abortion is okay. And everyone I talk to says that they do not have a problem with homosexuality. Who are you to say it is wrong?" And the next thing you know, people are more open to society's teaching than to God's teaching. This makes their society their god.

Many people say they worship God while in reality their self tells them what to do. They say, "Now God, I know You said this is what I am supposed to do, but I think I have this one figured out. I am going to try it my way." The next thing you know, people are more obedient to themselves than they are to God. They become their own god.

You might be thinking, "I am only human. Surely worshiping another god once in a while is not that big of a deal, is it?" But what you need to know is it really is a big deal. Why? First of all, if you worship another god you are going to end up unsatisfied like some people in a large city in our next lesson.

* What other gods have you followed in the past? Are you still following them?