Exodus 20:2a and 3 (Commandment One) Meditation
Text (Ex 20:2a and 3, NIV):
"I am the LORD your God...You shall have no other gods before me."
Amplified Rendering:
"I AM YHWH, the everlasting Name of Existence. I AM God, and I alone am God—there is no other(1). There is no one over Me, no one beside Me, no one before Me.
"I AM Jesus, your God(2), your Creator(3), and your Master(4); I AM the Bread of Heaven(5) and the Wine of Everlasting Satisfaction. Confess these things, and surrender to Me through your worship of Me(6).
"I AM...
The Lord Your Righteousness(7).
The Lord Who Sanctifies You(8).
The Lord Your Peace, Harmony, and Happiness(9).
The Lord Who's There(10).
The Lord Your Provider(11).
The Lord Who Heals You(12).
The Lord Your Shepherd(13).
The Lord Your Banner(14).
The Lord Who Sees You and Calls You by Name(15).
The Lord Your Refuge and Ever Present Help in Times of Difficulty and Trouble(16).
And...the Lord who Loves You More Than You Could Ever Ask for or Even Imagine(17).
"I AM wholly set apart unto Myself(18); and I AM wholly different from everyone and everything in creation(19); for everyone and everything was created in Me, by Me, and for Me(20).
"Life, rationality, reason, and beingness are found in Me, and Me only; for all things find in Me their origin, future hope, present sustenance, and unique inviolability(21).
"I AM before all things(22), I AM outside all things(23), and yet I fill all things to the full with My presence(24). All things are held together by Me, in Me, and for Me(25). There is no God, who is truly God, but Me; and I AM unchangeable(26).
"To be in covenant with Me is not just to assent mentally to these revealed truths, but to surrender to them and let them change you. More than that, it is to surrender to Me now, forever, and always—without resistance, without reservation.
"All you are and have was Mine to give, and it is still Mine. You are wholly Mine, and I AM wholly yours—this is the everlasting, ever-present reality of our being in covenant with each other.
"I am the Crown of your life—let no one take it(27); and let no one occupy My place—the place reserved for Me, and Me only. That place is holy ground. Let no affections, loyalties, oaths, or beliefs—even mental thoughts or feelings about Me—take My place as Supreme in your heart and life. This is the ground zero—the event horizon, if you will—of covenant with Me. There is no room for negotiation, argument, point, or counter point. This must be settled in your heart for all time, otherwise you will never be settled.
"Here Me, O people! No one is to take My place. No one. Ever.
"Here me, O people! I will never share with another the glory reserved for Me, and Me alone(28). Ever."
Consecrating Prayer:
Holy Father…
You are my God. I yield all I am to You, and I choose to serve and worship You only. In my life, there is no one before You or beside You. You reign Supreme in my heart and life; You are everything to me: all I need You to be, and so much more that I could ever see, conceive of, ask, or imagine!
You've said (and I believe this), "You are wholly Mine, and I AM wholly yours." Yes, I believe this, O God, and I ask now that You begin to unveil more and more of Yourself to me. I ask, too, that You pull me in close to You. Tie me into You, and enable me to reach up and tie myself into You. I long for nothing less than divine union with You, O God (29). No desire or thought occupies my soul more. Union with you: that's what I want—nothing else will satisfy me.
In the Name of Jesus, I declare and ask these things…
Amen.
Notes
See Is 45:5.
See Jn 20:28.
See Jn 1:1-4.
See Mt 23:10.
See Jn 6:25-59.
See Ne 9:6, Ps 5:7, and Ro 14:11.
See Je 23:6.
See EX 31:13.
See Ju 6:24.
See Psalm 39.
See Ge 22:13-14.
See Ex 15:26.
See Ps 23:1.
See Ex 17:15.
See Gen 16:13.
See Ps 46:1 and 91:2.
See 1Jn 4:7-8.
See Is 6:3 and Re 4:8.
See Je 10:6.
See Co 1:16-17.
See Ac 17:28.
See Co 1:16-17.
See Is 6:3 and Re 4:8.
See Ps 139:7-12, Je 23:23-24, and 1Co 3:16.
See Ac 17:28.
See Mc 3:6 and He 13:8.
See Re 3:11.
See Is 42:8 and 48:11.
See Jn 15 and 2Pe 1:4.
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