Scripture
“I am the Lord your God who rescued you from Egypt, the place of your slavery.”

Observation
God gives to Moses the Ten Commandments, a summary of how the people of Israel are to live in response to being set free from Egypt.

The first commandment, “You must not have any god but me”, serves as the basis of the other commandments.

Application
We have the potential to create idols out of anything, to worship any created thing, but especially to idolise ourselves. The sin of pride pushes us to think we should be self-directed, self-motivated, self-centred.

God says that, contrary to this, we must live our lives in obedience to God. The followers of the Lord are not free to do as they please, whether in terms of worshipping idols or in terms of sexual relationships or attitudes to possessions.

The christian life is about allowing God to mould our desires rather than allowing our desires to mould our gods.

Prayer
Father I invite you to come and correct my behaviour and my attitudes. Mould my thinking and my doing so that in all I do I being honour to your name. Amen.