This is a question that may seem obvious to anyone living the true Christian Way of Life but may be confusing to those who feel that their priorities, even though they may think that they are a committed follower of Jesus Christ, must be to their spouse and children with God being subordinated to a lesser role in their lives.
A well-known sportsman in the UK was asked about the priorities in his life, and he said that they were his family, his faith and then listed other priorities. His Christian faith was known to those who knew him well, and it seemed that he was a man of faith. However, was he correct in listing God as second to his family in his list of priorities?
Each and every one of us will have their own list of priorities. We may not sit down and list them, but we will know what we put first and those things that mean the most to us. When we have a list of things to do, we generally organise these according to how we perceive their importance. When we put God first, it means that He is top of our list of priorities.
By putting God in the premier position means that He will get the top priority in our lives. Praying and studying will be those things that we prioritise on a daily basis and ensure that we do those things that are most important to us. Once we let go and other things become more important to us, then God can slip down the pecking order, and that is not what He expects of us. When He calls us to be a part of His Church and a Spirit-begotten member of His Family, then that must be the most important thing in our lives because it will translate, at the First Resurrection, to us being born into the Family of God for eternity.
We read in Matthew 6:33:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
The word “but” is instructive. In previous verses Jesus told His disciples not to worry about their lives (see Matthew 6:25) as many of us may do constantly, but that God will take care of the things we need (see verses 26-32). The most important thing in our lives is to obey and worship God in the first place and all the other things will be taken care of by a loving God who knows what our needs are.
To seek first is not to relegate God to the back seat. In Matthew 22:35-40, we read of the response that Jesus gave to a lawyer who questioned Him:
“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’”
This was a direct instruction, not a suggestion.
Further, John 14:15 clearly reveals what we should and must do, if God is to be first and foremost in our lives:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments,” which is a simple answer that, sadly, is neglected, misunderstood, misconstrued and misinterpreted by most of mainstream Christianity today.
This was also a direct instruction, not a suggestion. Matthew 6:24 adds further clarification:
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Way back in time, the nation of Israel was given clear instructions on how seriously putting God first was to be to them as we read in Deuteronomy 6:4-9:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
It wasn’t to be from time to time as it turned out to be with ancient Israel, but a lifelong process as we understand today. Israel suffered the consequences of their pronounced allegiance to God with their behaviour which Scripture describes as frequently deviating from what was acceptable to God.
But it was not only those in ancient times who fell short of what was required, but also those many centuries later in the time of Christ, as we read in Matthew 15:7-9:
“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
It is well documented how the religious authorities in the time of Christ were upbraided for their hypocrisy by Jesus Christ and nearly 2,000 years later, it has changed little today. We MUST be different. We MUST put God first in our lives or we will be in the same position as those throughout history, having failed to do this, have suffered the consequences of their actions.
Simply put, it is in keeping with the First Commandment which states quite simply: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (compare Exodus 20:3). Anything or anyone that comes before God is detrimental to our spiritual well-being. This is clearly shown in Matthew 7:24-27 where Jesus instructs us to “build on the Rock”:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
This is a case of cause and effect. This is revealed in Galatians 6:7: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
We should, voluntarily, want to live our lives in the way that has been revealed to us. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, sub-headed “Glory Only in the Lord” in the New King James Bible, is an interesting and invaluable insight into our calling:
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
We are not the great and mighty of this world, but the very ordinary, to put to shame the wise. How many have been called to this Way of Life? Only God knows the answer to that question, but it is obvious that it is a small number because Jesus said in Luke 12:32: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
To have been given the opportunity that we have, should fill us with gratitude to the great God, and He must be first in our lives. If not, we can be overtaken by the things of this world, which are but transitory and will soon pass away.
In Proverbs 3:5-6, we read: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
It is not an easy path, but the narrow way, as we read in Matthew 7:13-14:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Anything really worthwhile takes effort to achieve, and we have been given the greatest gift of all by being called into the Church of God and receiving the Holy Spirit upon repentance. And when this is our approach and attitude, God is pleased, as Psalm 37:23 points out:
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.”
We read in 1 Peter 2:21: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”
Whenever we read about Jesus in the biblical account, we see that He was always subordinate to His Father’s Will, putting the Father first in all things. Never did Jesus treat the Father as anyone other than in first place in His life, and we should always follow His example.
Today’s prevailing ethos is that it is all about me, me, me. There are some worthy exceptions to that, but they are certainly in a small minority. Members of God’s true Church must not fall into the trap of “accommodating” society, always putting God first irrespective of any situations that might require us to do differently.
And why wouldn’t we want to put God first in our lives? We should think on these things which show us the might of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ:
- “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
- “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).
- “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:10).
- “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God’” (Romans 14:10-11).
- “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:11-13).
It’s a winning team to be part of, and for eternity.
There is much more to be said on this matter and one website reveals that there are 158 quotations about putting God first in our lives. However, what we have shown in this Q&A is that God has to be first in our lives at all times. Second, or any other place than first, is not acceptable to Him, and for good reason.
True Christians will be distinctive in their actions of putting God first in their lives as opposed to the world where compromise and fitting in with society is generally the accepted way. With a twenty-four-hour-a-day-commitment to God’s Way of Life where the things of God are deemed far more valuable than society’s so-called “values,” we will demonstrate to our Creator how much we appreciate our unique calling and the promise of much better things to come.
Interestingly, there was a situation in the UK where a big sporting event was taking place in the summer of 2023 at 11am on a Sunday morning. A senior bishop (female) from the Church of England said it was “fine” for churches to move morning services so that their parishioners could watch this event and added that people should choose the service that is “right for them.” Unfortunately, God never seems to be first in the lives of many mainstream Christians as they put worldly pursuits first.
We will finish this Q&A with a few quotations.
One writer put it this way: “God is smarter, wiser, and more powerful than any person can ever become. Thus, when God issues a commandment, our duty is to trust and follow Him in whatever direction He takes us. In the end, we will not be disappointed, but we will if we do not put God first in our lives.”
Put God first in everything you do—Denzel Washington
Put God first and you will never be last—Anonymous
When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives—Ezra Taft Benson
If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead—William Law
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)