April 8 -- "God is Numbah One"

 Today's Reading: Exodus 20

"God is Numbah One"

The Ten Commandments are comprised of ten concise and powerful statements which cover a range of topics, including the worship of God, the sanctity of life, and the importance of respecting others. The Commandments are an expression of God's will for His people and serve as a guide for how we should live our lives in relationship with God and with one another. They are considered to be the foundation of the moral code in Judaism and Christianity.

The first of these Commandments, “you shall have no other gods before me,” sets the foundation for the entire set of Commandments. It is a call for the Israelites to worship and serve only one God, and to not place any other gods or idols before Him. In Hawaiian pidgin, this verse is translated, “God is Numbah One.” This emphasizes the preeminence of God as the number ("numbah") one pursuit over all other things, persons, or pursuits.

This commandment applies to us today, as it reminds us of the importance of prioritizing our relationship with God above all else. In today's world, there are many things that can compete for our attention and devotion, such as material possessions, career success, or relationships. However, this Commandment reminds us that nothing should take the place of God in our lives.

To apply this commandment to our lives, we should seek to make God the center of our lives and prioritize our relationship with Him above all else. This means devoting time to prayer, studying the Bible, and seeking His will for our lives. We should also be aware of anything in our lives that might be competing for our devotion to God and work to remove those distractions.

In Matthew 22:37-38 (ESV), Jesus says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment."

Jesus is essentially emphasizing the same message as the first Commandment, but He expands upon it by adding the importance of loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. This means that we should not only avoid placing any other gods before Him, but we should also love and worship Him wholeheartedly. This statement emphasizes the importance of prioritizing God above all other things.