Love God First

For several months, the phrase “stop spinning” has been spinning around in my head. More often than not, I have an “all spun up” feeling inside of me, an inability to just relax, do the next right thing, and walk forward in whatever God has for me to do next. It finally occurred to me this morning that my focus has been all wrong! I’ve been so focused on what to do NEXT that I’ve missed a critical foundational building block: what to do FIRST! Wow!

So often, the answers we need are painfully obvious. They were there all along, but we were looking in the wrong place. The last few days, the word “first” has been echoing in my heart, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. This morning, the light bulb came on: GOD must be first! In everything I do, think, feel, pursue, and believe, God must be the cornerstone. Deep within, we “know” that, but we don’t always live it.

So, what does “first” look like in real life? First, God wants to–needs to, has to–BE FIRST! Exodus 20:3 is as plain as the nose on our face: “You shall have no other gods before me” (emphasis added).

Although it’s tempting to conjure up mental images of Buddha statues and golden calves and think, “Nah, I’m good. No other gods, here,” we are wise to do a little introspection. What about our priorities, activities, time management, family, work, and recreation? Do our phones, our mindless scrolling on social media, or even our ministry endeavors trump our devotion to God’s plans, His purposes, His presence, His voice, and His commands? ANYTHING we think about (and devote energy to) more than God becomes our “other gods.”

Our Priority #1 should be to love God first. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 says, “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” This sounds simple, and we can recite it without thinking, but it ain’t easy! Notice the repetition of “all”. We must love God with ALL that is within us: our thoughts and emotions, our efforts and energy, our spirit man, and all the physical strength we possess.

We must pour all we have into loving and serving God and others. I often imagine the lady who washed the feet of Jesus with her hair and expensive perfume. She loved Him with a fierceness that spared nothing. Jesus loves us sacrificially, and He asks us to do the same.

A verse we often recite without allowing it to truly penetrate us is Matthew 6:33. “Seek the kingdom of God above all else (KJV says “seek ye first”), and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (NLT). I love how the KJV instructs us to seek God first.

This got me thinking: What does it really mean to seek God first? We must seek him before we react and feel; before we entertain anger, self-pity, anxiety, fear, worry, or what ifs. We must seek God, in every moment and situation, before we respond; before we make a rash decision, throw a fit, or say something we’ll regret. Here is the one that gets me into trouble. We must seek God before we seek help elsewhere. God wants us to seek Him before we Google it, make a Facebook post, or phone a friend. Jesus is the answer to every question and the solution to every problem.

You see my friend, God longs, yearns, and desires for us to come to Him. He created us to need Him. He wants us to seek Him, no matter what we face, before we do anything else. Just thinking about that much love–for ME–creates a lump in my throat! Because He loves you and me first, He wants us to love Him first. And the cool thing is this: When we do, He rewards us. He rewards those who seek Him. When we choose to live for Him, He promises to give us everything we need! He loves us THAT much!

Jesus, thank you for loving me. Thank you for commands that lead me to you, the Author and Perfecter of my faith. Thank you for loving me so that I could love you. Help me to love you, seek you, and put you first in every area of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen!