A lady and her friend were having a conversation after church services. The lady asked her friend, “Did you notice that hat Beulah was wearing?” The friend responded, “No.” The lady then asked, “Well, what about the coat that Freddy had on?” Again, her friend said, “No.” The lady then said, “Well, a lot of good it does you to go to church.”
Most of us spend our time talking about current events, what we last saw on social media, the happenings of our business, and our kids’ lives, but few of us are talking about JESUS! Even in the realm of the Church, we can get caught up in glorifying personalities more than the Person of Jesus Christ.
We need to know this truth - Everything else in life becomes secondary once we encounter Jesus!
What if we made the decision to host God’s presence and learn that He will take care of everything else?
This can only happen if we choose to put God FIRST in our lives.
Matthew 6:33 (NLT) says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
So how do we put God FIRST? It’s as simple as evaluating five areas of our life.
F - FOCUS
Who or What occupies your FREE time? Do you set aside time for daily Bible reading and prayer? That means we have to be intentional about taking time to turn everything else down so we can give God our full and undivided attention.
I – INCOME
Jesus told us in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
When modern biographers begin their research on their subject, one of the first things they look at is that person’s check register and bank statements. They believe that a person’s financial records will help them gain a better understanding of what was meaningful to that person.
If someone were to check your bank statement today, would it reflect that God has your heart?
R – RELATIONSHIPS
1 John 4:20–21 NKJV “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from [Jesus]: he who loves God must love his brother also.”
This passage of scripture lays it out plainly that if we don’t love OTHERS, then we can’t love GOD.
Part of putting God first in our relationships is by choosing the right relationships. There are TWO CATEGORIES OF RELATIONSHIPS that we should have in our lives:
1. The people we choose to be around because they bring us close to God.
2. The people we choose to be around because we can bring them closer to God.
If there are people in your life that do not fall into either one of these categories, then more than likely, that relationship is not helping you grow in your relationship with God.
S – SECURITY
When you’re going through a difficult time, where do you turn to first for help? Do you pick up your phone to call a friend or family member, or do you pray first?
God should never be the last resort but rather the first one to whom we turn.
T – TIME
What if a husband were to tell his wife that he would be totally committed to her one day a week? We all know that would not go over well.
Do we do that with God? Are we only giving Him one day of our week, or are we being intentional in making time for God?
It is easy to fall prey to the belief that we do not have enough time to give to God, but in reality, when we give God our time, we are able to accomplish more than we ever could on our own.
God desires to be first in every aspect of our lives, and when we put Him first, there is a promise we can stand on that everything we need will be provided.
What things can you start doing today to start putting God first in your focus, income, relationships, security, and time?
I invite you to watch Pastor Eric's message, Above All Else, as he dives deeper into this subject.
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