Putting God First Is More than a Slogan
I have noticed a recent ad campaign
by a local news station. They will mention one of the many municipalities in our
metropolitan area by name while declaring that they are putting that particular
community first. When I initially saw one of those TV spots, I wondered why
they singled out that specific town. However, it wasn’t long before I saw another
commercial making the same claim about a different locality, and then another. They
are obviously attempting to make the residents of that designated area in each
ad feel like this news station is making them a priority. However, how can they
be putting all of these communities first? And if they did, wouldn’t that put
them all on the same level? If everyone is first, doesn’t that mean that none
of them are really special? It doesn’t make sense and detracts from the whole
idea of giving greater attention to the needs of these communities.
I am afraid some of us have been
guilty at times of doing something similar concerning our priorities in life,
especially in relation to the Lord. The Bible makes it clear that He is to be
first in our lives. Jesus told His followers to “seek first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). He also made it clear that we must love Him
more than we love our families, and even our own lives, or we cannot be His
disciple (see Luke 14:26). Jesus also confirmed that the greatest commandment
we’ve been given is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). These scriptures and others
suggest it should be the testimony of those who follow Jesus, “I am putting the
Lord first.”
However, there are other things
that compete for that top spot in our lives. Often, while claiming to be
putting God first, we still try to put these other aspects of our lives as our
main priority as well. “I need to put my family first – my spouse – my children.
Family comes first.” “I need to put my work first – I need to provide for my
family.” “I have to put myself first. No one else is going to look after me, I
have to look out for number one. Pursuing my own happiness and fulfillment has to
be my main priority.” Other competitors might include our favorite sports team,
our hobby, or some other big interest in our lives. Don’t get me wrong. Many of
those other aspects of life can be very important. Some of them need to be
priorities in our lives. However, there can only be one number one. There can
only be one top priority. Not everything or even several things can really be
first in our lives. We are fooling ourselves if we are claiming to be putting
God first while allowing other aspects of our lives to be just as important or
on an equal basis with Him.
If we will be faithful to give the
Lord the preeminence He deserves, He will take care of all those other
significant aspects of our lives. If He is our top priority, we will be better
able to be a blessing to our families. If we seek God first, He promises to
provide for our needs. If we love Him with all our hearts, we will find what we
need to have a meaningful and fulfilling life. All those other things in our
lives will fall into their proper place if we will put the Lord first.
Let’s make “Jesus first” more than
our pious-sounding slogan. Let’s seek to make it a reality.