The first commandment calls you to a life-long response of gratitude and loving loyalty to the God who loved you and gave Himself for you.

Positively, this means cultivating affection for Him, remembering Him, appreciating Him, honouring Him, choosing Him, loving Him, and fearing Him. It means trusting Him, hoping in Him, and delighting in Him. It means calling upon Him and giving thanks to Him.

Loyalty to God means giving Him more weight in your life and in your decisions than to any other. If you face a decision where every inclination of your heart says “no,” and yet to honour God you would have to say “yes,” then you would say “yes.” Why? Because God carries more weight than every inclination of your heart.

The starting point, negatively, is to identify all sins that break the first commandment by displacing God, and then to turn from them. He is displaced by pride and infatuation. He is displaced when we allow others to bind our conscience, or when we consult the devil, mediums, or fortune tellers. Superstition, impatience with God, and complaining about God’s providence are all attempts to displace Him. So are all forms of unbelief, distrust, and despair.

The first commandment looks easy from a distance, but once you get up close, you will see how difficult it is. You may well find yourself saying to God, “I can’t even keep the first commandment. I am surrounded by other powers that control my life. I need help!”

That’s a great way to come to Jesus. Following the first commandment is a lifelong struggle, but with the help and presence of Jesus you can begin to pursue it.

What are some ways in which this command is a struggle for you?

The Ten Commandments begin with the appeal of a gracious God who is committed to the good of His people, not an appeal on the basis of raw power.

God could have said, “I am your Creator. I own the cosmos.” That’s true. He could have said, “I have more power than a million nuclear bombs, so you better knuckle down and worship me.” That’s true too. But that’s not what He said.

He said, “I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Life in Egypt was absolutely miserable—poverty, abuse, and oppression. The Israelites were powerless, and their plight was hidden. They were trapped with no way out. There was no political process for change, no education that could qualify them for better things.

But then God stepped in and brought these desperate people out of Egypt. He rescued them and now He introduces Himself to them: “I am Yahweh. I am the one who brought you out of Egypt. I sent the plagues on your oppressors. I parted the Red Sea. I destroyed the armies of your enemies. When you cried out, nobody else was listening. But I was. Nobody else took notice of you, but I came down to help you. Nobody else saw a future for you, but I did.”

God has no obligations. He doesn’t have to do anything He doesn’t want to do. What pleased Him was to come down and set these hopeless people free. “Now,” He said, “I am your God. You belong to me. You are mine.” You will never be ready to embrace God fully until you are convinced that He is good.

How do you hear God’s appeal?

Take a moment to consider where you stand in relation to the Ten Commandments. Here are three possibilities:

Some of us think we’ve climbed the wall. A man was talking with Jesus about the Ten Commandments, and he said, “I’ve kept them all!” He hadn’t murdered anyone, told any whopping lies, or raided a bank. He was a good citizen who flossed his teeth and paid his taxes, but he misunderstood the commands. They aren’t limited to actions, and if you’ve never struggled to keep them, it’s probably time to get started.

Some of us are stretched out on the wall. Maybe God’s called you to work in a hostile environment and the pressures are enormous. You’re exhausted from the struggle. The fact that you’re struggling means you are on the wall. The Heidelberg Catechism asks about the Ten Commandments:

Q: Can those converted to God obey them perfectly?

A: No. In this life, even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless… they do begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments.

Christians make a beginning of integrity, a beginning of worship, and a beginning of contentment, but it is a true beginning, and one day it will be complete.

Some of us have fallen off the wall. There was a time when you were walking with Christ, but you lost your footing. Maybe it was a workaholic lifestyle, an unresolved conflict, or a secret deception. Thank God for His mercy. If it was not for God’s mercy, you would be lost forever. But mercy’s rope held you. You are not where you used to be, but there is hope for you. Get back on the wall and start climbing.

Where do you stand?