The First Commandment

 In Exodus chapter 20, the Lord reveals to Moses the Ten Commandments that the children of Israel were to follow. 

The first commandment is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)

What does this mean? And why did God give us this commandment?

To me, this means that I am to love Him and serve Him the very best way I can. 
In Deuteronomy 6:5 it says, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." 

Why does He give us this commandment? Does He really need us and our love and service?
I believe that NO, He does not need us, but we need Him.
Each and every single person that has lived, is living, and will yet live upon this earth is His child and He wants us to have joy.
To help us, He has given us the commandments. All He has done, does, and will do in the future is for our benefit, our growth and progression, that we might return to His presence. 
Thinking again about this first commandment, when we choose to love and serve Him, our hearts change. We find that we no longer have disposition to think or act in opposition to His commandments, and to the directions He gives us.
And when we follow Him, with all our heart, soul, and might, we will be able to return to His presence.

I am not perfect. I am far from perfect, and I think I have made this statement before.
However, I also know that because of Him, and His commandments, my heart has changed and is changing. My desire to have Him as my God has increased. My desires to follow Him and serve Him, by serving others, have increased.

Will you join me in renewing our commitment to love Him and serve Him?