Exodus     20:3: the first commandment: “you shall have no other [aher] gods [elohim] before [al] me.” 
Elohim: plural of gods 
Aher: other or man’s or different 
Al: beside or with, above or beyond, in addition to 
So we are to have no other “things,” man-made or man-elevated, to take the place, value in addition to, or elevate above Almighty God, yod-heh-vav-heh! 

Consider the ramifications of this. We readily agree this means to have no other deities to worship. We readily understand we cannot carve a cow out of wood and call it a god. But God’s Word holds so much more meaning than this!

What do you put above God? Money? A house? A car? Stuff? How about family? Your kids? Your spouse? Your physical comfort? ALL of these things are of an importance created by MAN. To elevate ANYTHING to be on par with, equal to or above worship of God is to “have another god before” the LORD.

The interesting thing is that God always will provide what we need. Yet we strive, though we are told not to. We worry and stress when we are told not to. When you let Christ in the driver’s seat, you can be sure that whatever circumstance you find yourself in, even if it is uncomfortable or even painful, is being worked out with divine purpose for YOUR GOOD! He is preparing you for something, teaching you something, and growing you for something. 
But if you insist on driving and striving, useless and unnecessary hardship is coming. Loving THINGS over God was an example of idolatry spoken against by Christ himself in Matthew 19:24: “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

We’ve all heard it before but it bears true stressing, especially today. God MUST come first. When we strive for “stuff,” we not only insult and anger God, but we teach our children to love the world over God! We teach them to stive for beauty, for love, for the latest gadget, and then have the audacity to say, “put God first,” as if paying this lip-service will truly teach the world anything. 

How much of your day is spent talking to God? How much is spent praising Jesus? How much is spent reading scripture? How much is spent talking about Him and what He had done for you?

Now…how much of your day is spent on worrying about money? On showing off that newest gadget or thing? On doing your makeup? Talking about the latest gossip or news?

Personally, I find myself convicted and humbled when I think of this…