You shall not have other gods besides me. EX 20:3
In our first reading today Moses comes down from Mount Sinai where he just met with God. God asks Moses to deliver His instructions to the Israelites. The first 4 commandments were the basic foundation with which the people would develop their relationship with God.
We know from ancient Greek history that people would worship multiple gods as representations of the various forces of nature. They would build statues and deities to symbolize their various gods and offer sacrifices to them.
Today, while most recognize one true God, we still have a tendency to devote ourselves to other "gods" in our lives. We may not think of them as gods but we spend much of our time and energy serving them. These are things that we chase after because of their sinful allure to our selfish desires. We are tempted to serve other gods in hope of some form of short-lived material gain. This type of life will only lead to darkness. Instead, God calls us to show our love for Him by loving others. We can serve God by serving those around us.
