When I was a student, I carried around an index card. The index card read:
- God
- Family
- School
- Sports
It was a reminder of my priorities. I wanted to make sure to put God first in my life. I would give attention to my family and make sure to get my homework done. Then I would eat, sleep, and drink nothing but the sport I was participating in for the season.
It was a checklist of sorts. I could check God off the list and then could go on to the next thing. Once I had everything checked off the list, I could devote my time and energy to my true priority – which was sports.
But God wants to be more than something to check off the list. God does not want to be first in your life. He wants to be your life. He wants to be everything. He wants to be first, second, third, fourth, and fifth. He wants to be in every part of your life. He wants to be in your marriage. He wants to be in your work. He wants to be in your recreation.
It is easy to leave God to church on Sunday. Or we isolate him to our devotion time. That’s our “God time.” And we might think to put God first is to prioritize those times.
But in Psalm 42:1 it says:
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
The verse is a powerful image. There are few motivations in life greater than thirst. If you are thirsty, it is all you can think about. Your entire life will be ordered around finding a sip of water.
That is how God desires we prioritize finding him. Our entire life is ordered around him. The reality that as a student, my life was prioritized around sports. That was my greatest motivation. Everything was done to get there. But God desires we flip it around. Instead of having God be a stepping stone to the destination, we recognize God is the destination.
Jesus tells us in John 4:10-14 that he give us living water! It is the only water that truly satisfies. It is the only water worth longing for.
Jesus is the Lord of Life. He has much to say about the big decisions in life and also the little decisions. He wants to be a part of all those decisions. He loves you, and he wants you to make good decisions. He wants you to make choices that lead to abundance. And the greatest abundance in finding him and knowing him.
Questions for Reflection
- What is your true priority in life?
- What is the danger of putting God first?
- How do you involve God in other parts of your life where you have left him out?
- Share your comments.
Sibylle Palmer says
Powerful and wonderful message. Thank you!
Darlene says
I see God as the center, like the hub of a wheel. The other parts of my life are only kept in balance with the hub directly in the center. Unlike the analogy to a wheel, some parts may need to be bigger, but then only God helps us find the right balance.
Pat says
God is first in everything that I do. He is in every decision that I make. I was just like the writer, making sure that I check God off on a check list. This past month, I realize what it means to put him first. I have surrendered my life to him and he is in charge in every aspect of my life. I do not go outside of his will without talking with him first for everything.