Coming in First Place is….

On my oldest grandson’s birthday a few weeks ago, I spoke about the “firsts” in our lives. The first job, first kiss, first child, first grandchild, etc. He was our FIRST. Today I’m talking about another FIRST. What and Who should be FIRST place in our lives.

God is the King of His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God trumps every earthly kingdom. That means, if we are Christians, we have a higher allegiance to God than any king on this earth. Because He is our King — putting Him FIRST puts everything and everyone else in our lives in the right order.

People often say: “I have so much, and yet I feel unfulfilled. I have a good family, good job, and good friends. I’m part of a great church. But why do I feel so unfulfilled?” It’s because we were made for more than this! We were made for more than survival.

Until we live with a kingdom perspective, we will never find fulfillment in life. How do we live a fulfilled life — the kind of life we were designed by God to live? The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 2:12, “You should live in a way that proves you belong to God Who calls you into His kingdom and glory.”

What does it mean to live in God’s Kingdom? It means we make God’s agenda our agenda. We make God’s will our will. We care about what God cares about. We put God first in whatever area we want Him to bless.
What does it mean to put God first in our lives? Here are five ways to put God in His rightful, FIRST place position in our lives:

* First in our Finances. If we want God to bless our finances, we should be giving Him what is His. Tithing isn’t for God’s benefit. He doesn’t need our money. Instead, tithing is meant for our benefit because sacrificing a portion of our income reminds us to rely on God to meet our needs.

* First in our Interests. We put Him first in our hobbies, our careers, and our recreation. We give God our first consideration in EVERY decision we make.

* First in our Relationships. We put Him first in our family, our marriage, and our friendships.

* First in our Schedules. We give God the first part of every day. When we wake up, we FIRST say: “I love You and thank You for Your love for me.”

* First in Who to look to when troubles come. Ugh! Troubles! Those nasty, gnarly and unwanted troubles. No problem! Because when they come, we’ll turn to God FIRST for His peace, His wisdom and His patience. Prayer should never be our last resort. It should always be FIRST.

Let’s get it right this year. Based on God’s rules for success, let’s put our priorities in the right order: “Loving God with all our hearts, our souls and our minds. This is FIRST and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

Putting God FIRST this year gives us the opportunity to watch how He blesses us with His goodness and His mercy that will chase us down.