First things first!
I’ll never forget Bob Benson’s illustration about the buttons on a shirt. Get the first button right, and all the others will be in line. Get that first button wrong, and the whole shirt will be lop-sided.
Some things Godly are more important than other things. If we get these first things first, then life lines up correctly. If not, our whole lives are misaligned.
Jesus said that if we will first seek the kingdom and His righteousness, everything regarding life will come into order (See Matthew 6:25-33) – food, clothing, houses, jobs. Is your life somewhat askew? Check your “firsts.”
Some examples of “first things first” right alignment:
Jesus also advises, when we enter into worship with our tithes and offerings – if we remember that someone has something against us (we have wronged someone), we are first to go immediately to right that wrong, and then offer our gift (See Matthew 5:23-24). That’s pretty radical. Do we? Will we?
He also told us that if we really want to be great in the Lord (and I hope you do), we must become servants – an inverted triangle of an authority structure (See Matthew 20:24-28). Is this my desire? Do my actions show servanthood? Do yours show this?
Or how about this one? When asked to comment on the 613 commandments given in the Law, which is most important, Jesus responded without hesitation, “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. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:34-40).
Easy said, but how do we do that? John gives us that answer in his first letter, “We love because He first loved us” (4:19). In other words, ponder and meditate on how much God loves you, and respond to Him with your whole being your desire to love him back.
Get that first button of your life properly aligned, and your whole life comes into order. Have a blessed day!