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.