PUTTING GOD FIRST 

 

 

We’ve all heard it said: “Put God first!” It sounds good, and we hear it talked about in churches all the time. But I wonder, what does it truly mean to put God first? Well, it’s more than checking a box in our daily routine, and it’s more than 15 minutes in the morning so we can move on with our business. Putting God first is a daily realignment of our hearts and minds to give Jesus lordship over our lives. 

 

What is lordship, you ask? Well, consider Jesus when the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. In Matthew 6:9–10, He responded with the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”

 

First, notice how He’s honoring His Father above all else. That’s what it means to “hallow” God’s name. It means that nothing else in your life will be above God’s name and desires. 

 

 

Naturally, then, this led Jesus (and it leads us as well) to surrender His will and desires to His Father’s. Consider how He surrendered His throne and His glory when He came to the earth. And again, on the cross, He surrendered everything when He gave His body, His blood, and, ultimately, His life. Lordship is nothing less than a daily, continual surrender of your heart, mind, body, and will. 

 

 

So now comes the real heart work; is that kind of surrender representative of your relationship with God? Or do you find yourself continually pleading with Him to “fix” something in your life? Ask yourself, “What am I seeking first—God’s desires for my life or my own?” The answer to those questions will tell you a lot about who the real “Lord” of your life is. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably find that you have some work to do in this area! But here’s the great news: Jesus is loving and patient with us. Even though we try to occupy the seat that rightfully belongs to Him as our Creator, He lovingly waits for us to recognize our pride and allow Him to take His rightful place on the throne of our hearts

 

 

Scriptures to read: John 14:10-14; Psalm 25; Luke 9:23

 

 

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

 

•        Is that kind of surrender representative of my relationship with God?

 

 

•        What am I seeking first – God’s desires for my life or my own?

 

 

PRAYER TO PRAY

 

Lord, today, I put You first. I surrender my life to You and give You lordship of my day. In every task, in every errand, in every meeting, in every encounter with another person, have Your way in me. Be my wisdom, righteousness, strength, and peace so that my life glorifies You. Lord, today, Your kingdom come, Your will be done. In Jesus’ name, amen.