Make God Your First Love and Everything Else In Your Life Will Fall Into Place (Inspirational)
what does the Christian of today look like and what should the Christian of today look like these are two very different questions which can have two very different answers depending on who you ask now the Bible says in First Peter 2 verse 21 . to this you were called because Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps listen to this closely because Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps I believe that this is true Christianity following the example of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ left heaven for Earth to die for our sins he put the church before himself he obeyed God's will lived a life of purpose a purpose that can be summed up with his words in Luke 22 verse 42 which says father if you are willing take this cup from me yet not my will but yours be done when we get to such a place this is what I believe to be true Christianity [Music] now I would like to encourage you to take the following steps so that you can make sure you are Marching forward and living a life that pleases the Lord to begin with we all need to live lives where God is first you and I need to live a life that places God above everything Place God before everything the Amplified translation for Luke 9 verse 23 says and he was saying to them all if anyone wishes to follow me as my disciple he must deny himself set aside selfish interests and take up his cross daily expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come and follow me believing in me conforming to my example in living and if need be suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in me this reminds me of the song that says Jesus in the morning Jesus in the noon time Jesus when the Sun goes down and to me this means living a life where you are completely consumed by the Lord's Presence by his word by the Holy Spirit and no it doesn't mean you neglect your day-to-day responsibilities because you're praying 24 7. no it simply means that your mind is constantly fixed on Jesus Christ you're either quietly meditating on a verse as you are making breakfast or you're worshiping and praising as you're driving whatever it is have the presence of mind to ask yourself am I connected to the Lord am I glorifying the Lord now the phrase put God first has become very popular in this day and age but in Practical terms what does it mean well when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he answered in Matthew 22 37. Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and great commandment this says to me that your love for Jesus Christ supersedes everything it's a love that prioritizes the Lord God first really means God first now another point that I'd like to highlight about a real follower of Jesus Christ is that they fear the lord and to fear God isn't to say that you're terrified of him no [Music] fear God is to realize who he is how big he is how Mighty and all-powerful he is and this leads you to have a deep respect reverence and awe for God's power and authority Proverbs chapter 1 verse 7 says fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge fools despise wisdom and instruction the fear of God is what motivates Godly Behavior the fear of God leads one to repent and pursue a holy life the fear of God keeps you on the straight and narrow when you fear God you do not take sin lightly because you know that God is Holy and pure and he does not tolerate unrighteousness and impurity further traits of a real follower of Jesus Christ are that they serve wholeheartedly all they do is to the glory of God First Corinthians 10 verse 31 says so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God I encourage you to do all that you can in God's kingdom but do it to bring glory to him and not for yourself serve for the glory of Jesus Christ serve so that unbelievers and those who are lost may see the goodness of God through you serve with pure intentions serve with Godly intentions a lot of us need to be obedient to Galatians 5 13 which says for you were called to Freedom Brothers only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but through love serve one another when you serve for the glory of God this I believe is when you are truly imitating Christ now my final point is closely linked to this matter of serving a true follower of Jesus Christ is humble and humility doesn't mean you allow yourself to be used and abused it simply means you don't think more highly of yourself than you ought to and you don't think any less of others than you ought to and to be honest this is a matter that's all to do with pride Pride says I can do this on my own Pride says I'm self-made I am successful and I did it because I worked hard Pride says look at me look what I have done however humility says in my weakness God's strength is made perfect humility says God will give me strength God will renew my strength I believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me do you see the difference Pride says look at me but humility says look at Christ Pride says look at what I have done but humility says look at What the Lord Has Done James 4 6 but he gives more grace therefore it says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble you find favor in being humble you find blessings in being humble so I encourage you to be someone who puts God first whether it's day or night Come Rain or sunshine put God first be someone who lives with the fear of the Lord in their life Revere and honor our Lord Jesus Christ always and finally be humble always be humble in everything you do seek to serve others all for the glory of God [Music] foreign