Each of the Ten Commandments are plain, but people often fail to understand what they say. Some people think they can be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, yet if you asked them to name five of them, they probably could not do it. How can you obey something when you have no idea what they say or mean?

Here is a look at each of the Ten Commandments.

The first commandment is a warning that we are not to put anything or anyone above God. We are naturally worshipful creatures, and we tend to put something first in our lives, and our lives are directed toward that goal.

Some people make their primary aim in life to accumulate as much money as possible. Others seek for a position, pleasure, popularity, or power. These things have become their gods. God is then given second or third place in their lives.

Seeking after any of those things means that the real God is not their god. They have disobeyed. When God is truly first in our lives, we will seek His approval, direction, and obey Him.

When God is not the God of our lives – the One we live for, then we have made ourselves our god. We must remember that we are the result of His creation. He made us for Himself and His pleasure.

He will judge us all one day, He cannot change, and no excuse will do if you have not put God first in your life. James tells us in Ja. 2:10: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” In other words, you cannot break one of the Commandments without breaking them all.

When elaborating on the question of which commandments are the most important, Jesus answered: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Mt. 22:37). This is a quote from De. 6:5. It is God explaining what the first commandment means.

At another time, Jesus revealed how we can know if we really love Him or not. In Jn. 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” True love for God is revealed in glad obedience. Do you really love Him?

Thank God we serve a merciful God, Who loves us and helps us to love and serve Him.