What is the greatest thing we can do as Christians? This is a perfectly legitimate and normal question. Our faith calls us to many actions: love, forgiveness, hope, but what is the greatest action? Someone in Jesus' day was wondering the same thing, albeit for a different reason, and they took the opportunity to ask him.
“When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. One of them, a lawyer, challenged him with this question:'Master, what is the greatest commandment in the law?'
Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”(Mateus 22:34-38 See more)
This gives us some much-needed clarification. Putting God first in our lives should be our primary concern as Christians. When we talk about people or things that we love or value deeply, God should be at the top of the list. Only then do we fulfill this main commandment.
Although we now know this, Jesus' words in the passage do not give us an automatic answer to living this truth. Fortunately, if we are willing to search a little further, God's Word has answers ready for us.
What does it mean to put God first?
"If you love me, keep my commandments."(João 14:15)
What does it mean to put God first? Putting something first in life means having something as a priority. We can prioritize where we spend most of our time and energy. Someone who prioritizes their work spends most of the day either working or thinking about work. Someone who puts family first is usually involved in family activities. In both examples, priority is given to other things, be they people or activities.
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The same is true when we put God first in our lives. Making God a priority means focusing on God all day and dedicating much of our time to Him. Some examples of connecting with God include praying, going to church, joining a Bible study group, or simply absorbing the scriptures.
Of course, our relationship with God works differently than our relationship with work or family. On average, we work eight hours a day to earn our living. Few people claim to spend that much time in church or even in prayer. We also spend time with our family and take care of our spouse or children. All the time we spend at work or with family seems to be time we don't give to God. We are not even physically connected to God like we are with work or family.
Because our connection to God differs from other areas, putting God first means keeping Him in mind when it comes to other people or activities. We can prioritize God without always being in church. We accomplish this by trying to glorify Him in everything we do. Scripture is very informative.
"Therefore, whether you eat or drink or what you do, do everything for the glory of God."(1 Corinthians 10:31)
Truly everything we do in life as Christians should be done to honor God. This verse mentions mundane and daily activities like eating and drinking. When we keep God in mind in every decision we make, we make Him our priority, no matter the responsibility. What we learn from this approach to life is that there are some activities that we engage in that do not honor God.
If we want to put God first in our lives, let's skip relationships or activities that don't honor him. Soon we will begin to stand as God's witnesses in all of our long-term relationships, circumstances, and various responsibilities.
Why should we put God first in life?
„Because where your treasure is, there your heart is also."(Matthew 6:21)
Now that we understand what it means to put God first, we need to answer one more question. Why should we put God first in our lives?
Our commandment given by Jesus as Christians is to put God first. Following God requires obedience to His principles. The same was true for Bible believers. The same is true for believers today. Although to an unbeliever, and to people in general, the idea of putting God first might not sound right if you only focus on the commandment aspect.
For a different perspective, consider the results of putting God first. Not only do we honor God and fulfill the greatest commandment, but there are countless other benefits. One of which involves being a recipient of His perfect peace (Philippians 4:7). This peace is described as something that transcends all circumstances, meaning that when we face adversity, we will not see the problem as something bigger than God because our focus is on God. Instead, we realize that God is always bigger than the problem.
An added benefit of putting God first is that we can fulfill the second great commandment: love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Without acknowledging God's love for humankind, we can never truly appreciate our neighbor. God's love for people gives us reason to call someone a neighbor and not an enemy. As our reality shows, along with the nations of the Bible, people are prone to disagreement. When we put God first in our lives, we will choose God more than ourselves in our interactions with others. We will tend to prioritize them over ourselves.
There are clear advantages to putting God first, and the command Jesus gave is honest and direct. Now that we knowWhyjWas, we can look for practical ways to ensure that God comes first in our lives.
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7 practical ways to put God first
“If you faithfully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all of his commandments that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will exalt you above all the nations of the earth.
All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you as you obey the Lord your God: blessed will you be in the city and blessed in the field.(Deuteronomy 28:1-3)
1. Spend time with God
We know that the people and activities that take up the most time are what matter most to us. When we keep our focus on God, we will know Him better in every moment of every day. Just as we have specific times to go to work or hang out with a friend, we can schedule time with God to ensure commitment.
Try to pray at a specific time when we wake up or before we go to bed. We can choose to keep a prayer journal or dedicate ourselves to memorizing the scriptures. Whatever choice we make, the end result is a closer connection with God.
2. Pray daily
God wants to hear us, and one way to do that is through prayer. We can pray by thinking, speaking aloud, or writing our thoughts about God on a piece of paper. Each path establishes communication with God, our Father, our Provider.
Biblical figures like Habukkuk and David show how we can become intimate with God in our conversations. Although our relationships with spouses or children are honest, nothing compares to what we can have with God. He watches us every waking moment (Psalm 139:2). The Bible encourages us to pray so that we may make our requests known to God, gain wisdom to follow Him, and give thanks to God.
3. Thank God constantly
Can we truly appreciate any activity or person without being thankful for their existence? The same question applies to God and the life he has given us. Scripture exhorts us to give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Thanking God is a sign of humility and our dependence on Him. So when we give thanks, we honor him because we reflect on how much we appreciate God.
4. Ask God how you can serve
Praying to God also opens us to learn more about God's will for our lives. Jesus identified the most important commandments, but there are many others to be obeyed. Like figures in the Bible, God can call us to support someone or a specific calling. Without praying to God, we will be unaware of His desires for us.
5. Read the scriptures daily
To understand what it means to be a Christian, we cannot rely solely on our feelings about what is right or wrong, or on the guidance of others. God's Word is the first place we should go to find out how God wants us to live (2 Timothy 3:16). In the Bible we find many of God's principles and the reasons why He wants our obedience. The scriptures offer us a wealth of wisdom about how to live better and serve God and others. The more information we have, the more we show God how much we appreciate Him. Other people will, of course, witness our burgeoning faith.
6. Fast
Scripture indicates that we can serve only one Lord (Matthew 6:24). Fasting is a great way to test whether we value more than our relationship with God. We can choose from food, electronics, or specific activities to strengthen our connection with God. If God is to be our priority or first love, we must be willing to make sacrifices to secure that.
7. Always obey him
We may not always like what God is doing in our lives or what God has done in the Bible. However, to know the Scriptures is to recognize that God knows far beyond what we could know. God is smarter, wiser and more powerful than anyone else can be. So when God gives a command, it is our duty to trust and follow it, in whatever direction it leads. We won't be disappointed in the end, but we will be if we don't put God first in our lives.
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