“Is God First?”
“Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:39
Is God
first
in your life? Before you answer think about it for a bit; having God
first
in one or two areas of your life is not having Him
first
in your life. If we pick and choose the aspects of our lives, where He is
first
sometimes or in some places, that’s making God a convenience and He doesn’t accept that. This is a hard reality but it is an expectation of the God who created heaven and earth- He must be
first
.
Finances for example; when there’s too many bills at the end of the paycheck, what do you do? Have you already tithed before you pay the bills? God’s system says He can do more with the 90% left after the tithe than we can with 100%. If God is
first
in our finances, it is reflected in our giving.
How about family? Is He first in your family, meaning first before family? Many people put a spouse or children in front of God; some, probably many even make their child or children an idol and don’t realize it. God told the priest Eli “you’ve honored your sons above me” and it cost him dearly. Often time when a Muslim or Buddhist comes to Christ, it is at the expense of their family. These religions disown family members and at times kill them for believing in Jesus as Savior. Putting God first can be costly in this life, but God redeems it all in the life after this one. If God is first, it is demonstrated and taught in the family and becomes a way of life, it’s reflected in family life.
Is God
first
in your battles, struggles that we encounter in life? This may be in relationships, in health situations, in the workplace, school or even church! Sometimes we have battles going on multiple fronts; in our Western culture we have the luxury of great medical facilities, doctors, resources and many other things we can rely on. Unfortunately that has created an environment where God drops down the list of options; rather than being the first option we go to, he becomes the last desperate alternative!
Three things happen when we put God first in all areas of our lives: it
Honors Him
, it
Demonstrates Faith
in Him and it
Unlocks His Blessings
in our life. When we put God
first
, we will find we don’t have to fight the battles as long or as hard as we thought, and maybe not at all! It’s easy to say God is first, but the truth is, when He is, our life will reflect it and everyone will be able to see. Start stepping out and up in faith, put God
first
, go to Him
first
and see what happens!
Our
Family Christmas Eve Service is December 24, 5:30 to 6:30
pm. Bring family and friends and celebrate the real reason for the season as we recognize that Peace has come to mankind in the birth of our Savior!
Blessings!
Pastor Leonard