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[a] me. Exodus 20:1-3

After this great deliverance, Moses led the people to Mount Sinai, where God gave them the Ten Commandments. “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.” 1. You shall have no other gods before me. 2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain . . . 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. 5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. (See Exodus 20:1–17)

These commandments are a direct reflection of the character of God, and God calls His people to live a life that reflects who He is. Why should you not commit adultery? Because God is faithful. Why should you not steal? Because God can be trusted. Why should you not lie? Because God’s Word is truth.

The Ten Commandments also spell out what it means to love. The first four commands tell us what it looks like to love God. Loving God involves putting Him first, embracing Him as He is, honoring His name, and giving Him time. The last six commands tell us what it looks like to love our neighbor. Loving others involves giving honor where honor is due, acting in the best interest of others, being faithful, giving rather than taking, telling the truth, and rejoicing in what God has given to others.

Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9. Listen to God’s perspective. Hear His instructions. The Lord has commanded that we would not only know His Word but also live according to it and follow His ways, fearing Him and not man.

He exhorts us to do this so that we would fear the Lord our God and keep all His statutes and His commandments, which He has commanded us—all the days of our lives. Doing so will not only impact us but also those who have been entrusted to our care and those who will come after us.

Begin renewing your mind by reading the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. Listen carefully to the Lord and ask Him to help you love Him, your God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Hear these commands, not as restrictive or confining, but as loving and protective.

Confess any disobedience and ask the Lord for His forgiveness. Thank Him for His love, mercy, and grace. Then ask Him to grant you repentance to enable your heart to receive, come up under, and live according to His righteous commands by grace. Remember always, though, that we are not under the law but under grace!

Let’s take a look at what it means to worship the Lord with all of our heart.

Worship is what we were made for. It is a response to whom we love and adore most. Everywhere we go, everything we love, we think of – it’s worship. Did you ever really stop and reflect on who or what you are really worshipping?

In Exodus 20:2-5, the Lord commanded Israel to not have other gods before Him, for He is a jealous God. Yes, He is a jealous God and He has reason to – for He made you just to worship Him.

Whether we admit it to ourselves or not, we do worship something or someone – that thing or person we value most; that thing or person that drives us. What or who do you value most?

We allow many things to become gods to us: money, fame, career or hobbies can become gods when we concentrate too much on them for personal identity, meaning, and security. We may be doing it unconsciously, but the amount of time we devote to them – to the point of having them consume our thoughts, emotions and energy – makes them idols. But are we satisfied with them? Anything we put before God is an idol and it’s not what we were created for.

Worship is something you should offer to the One who made us and deserves it. Worship is within us.
Worship is our response to who God is.

“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping.”