We Love Best By Loving God First

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” – Psalm 63:1-8.

Boy…it has been one of those days. As Christians, we also have a lot of “those” days, but we also have days that are like all the rest of the days. Normal or typical days if you will. But what do those days look like? Maybe something like this: The alarm wakes us up, we shuffle into the kitchen for coffee and while it is cooling a bit, we check our email. A partial smile crosses our face as we hear our wife hit the snooze button. The kids start to stir and knowing the chaos that is imminent, we utter a one minute prayer that hopefully covers all the bases. We mentally commit to God that we will have a quiet time tomorrow. 

The wife gets a peck on the cheek as we walk out the door. By 8:30 a.m. we are at the office and offer a second prayer that the boss will be happy with our work or better yet be out of the office today. The day is filled with meetings, deadlines, side conversation and numbers. At least we had a moment to check out our likes on Facebook. Leaving the office you remember that you need to stop and get a loaf of French bread for dinner.

Sound familiar?

It has happened to all of us. Our hope and plan is to have a certain hierarchy: God first, family second, work third. But the reality is that priorities will tell us what or who is lord of our lives. Where are we investing most of our time, money, and energy? Which relationships and activities do you devote yourself to every day? Where do you currently place God in your list of priorities? In Sunday’s message I talked about how real intimacy comes when Jesus Christ is at the center of your life. We all want a rich and rewarding experience with the Lord on typical days and “one of those days.”  David gives a vivid description of his passion for God in the verses at the top of this article. But it won’t happen automatically or accidentally. Human relationships are not instantaneous; they must be cultivated over time. In the same way, spiritual unity with God must be pursued over time.

The first step in our quest for intimacy with the Lord is getting to know Him—who He is, what He does, how He thinks, and what He desires. Even though God is invisible, a close relationship with Him is grown the same way human friendships are—through time spent together, communication, breaking down barriers, and shared interests. We will never achieve closeness with the Lord unless we invest time and effort in getting to know Him. A neglected relationship simply won’t grow. 

No one can have an intimate relationship with God and remain unchanged. Our experiences with Him teach us that He is faithful and can be trusted. And before long, time spent with Him becomes the best part of each day. Instead of watching the clock, we’ll want to stay longer because His presence is better than anything else.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you feel the presence of God on a daily basis?
2. How can we invest daily in connecting to God?
3. What role does energy play in our relationship with God? What about sacrifice? Trust?
4. Read John 14:23: What does that verse say to you about intimacy with God?
5. Read Philippians 3:7-14: What was Paul’s greatest pursuit in life? How satisfied was he with his relationship with Christ?
6. Pray and ask God to help you make Him the center of your life.