Make God First

“He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” ― John 3:30. 

It makes sense to pause and reflect occasionally on why we always seem to be putting out fires that flash up everyday in our busy lives. The question is how much can I control the urgent? Is it a reflection of my schedule or what I allow on that schedule? We also need to pause and reflect on our relationship with God.

If a group of Christians were asked to list their priorities, that list would include God, spouse, children, others, job and ministry, in some order. All of these things are important. All of them matter to God so they should matter to us. But the list begins and ends with God. God should be the number one priority and the foundation in our life.  But that requires more than symbolically placing God on the top of the list. If we make God another line in a list, we are suggesting that God is simply another component in our life. God is more than a role player, or another component in our lives. God is our life. If we are a follower of Jesus, then God owns our life. It means desiring God’s will above all else.

We all have to be weary of compartmentalizing God. We don’t want to think of Him as relevant in some aspects but needed in others. Instead, as I think through what is important versus what is urgent, I need to look at it through the prism of my relationship with Him. What is really important is established by Him and outlined in scripture. The reality is that urgent fires will always pop up in this life. But we do have the ability to differentiate between the urgent and the important and make decisions accordingly if Jesus is at the center of our lives. 

Psalm 62:5-8 says, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God,  for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

Life places before us hundreds of choices. Some are bad. Some are good. But each of us must decide, “do I focus my attention and energies on what is urgent or what is important?”

Discussion Questions:

1. Often what we are doing with our time isn’t bad or wrong, but it can be distracting to us because we let the urgent things crowd out the important things. How do you differentiate between the important and the urgent? 
2. Name three urgent things you need to do and three important things you need to do. Which are getting more of your time?