What Does It Mean to Put God First?
What place does Jesus Christ have in your life?
Is He first? Second? Third?
We all have daily schedules, routines, responsibilities, and things that demand our attention. We have jobs to get to, families to care for, and plenty of things competing for our time.
But here's the question I want you to think about:
Where does God fall in your daily schedule?
It's easy to say that God is important to us. But does the way we live actually reflect that?
Quick Answer
Putting God first means making Jesus Christ the highest priority in your life. It means giving Him first place in your daily routine, relationships, finances, decisions, and commitments.
Rather than fitting God into whatever time is left over, we intentionally make room for His Word, prayer, fellowship, and serving others.
Putting God first isn't simply about what we say we believe. It's about how we choose to live.
Prefer to Watch?
Watch Pastor Mike's Living With Purpose teaching on putting God first and discover how your daily priorities, church involvement, and personal relationship with Jesus can help you live a more purposeful Christian life.
1. Make God a Priority in Your Daily Routine
Let me give you an example from my own life.
On a typical weekday morning, I get up, take a shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast.
And let me tell you something.
That cup of coffee is mandatory!
I need that cup of coffee in the morning. It's important to me.
But as important as that coffee might seem, Jesus Christ is far more important.
That's why I make time for devotion.
Sometimes I get up early enough to spend time with God and read His Word before leaving home.
Other mornings, my schedule looks a little different.
When that happens, I make time as soon as I get to my office. I'll sit down, open the Word, and spend time in prayer.
You see, I'm not telling you that your daily routine has to look exactly like mine.
You don't have to be so rigid about it.
The important thing is that God has a place of priority in your life.
He's not somebody you get around to whenever everything else is finished.
He's first.
And that requires being intentional about spending time with Him.
If you're looking for practical ways to develop that relationship, learning how to spend time with God is a great place to begin.
2. Sunday Morning Isn't Enough for the Entire Week
I love coming to church.
We gather on Sunday mornings, worship together, and hear a good message from God's Word.
But here's something I've learned:
An hour and a half on Sunday isn't enough to sustain my relationship with God for the entire week.
Think about that.
We wouldn't expect one meal to sustain our physical bodies for seven days.
So why would we expect one church service to provide everything we need spiritually for the entire week?
We need to spend time with the Lord daily.
We need His Word.
We need prayer.
We need that personal relationship with Him.
Sunday morning is important, but it isn't supposed to replace the time we spend with God throughout the rest of the week.
Ask yourself:
Am I giving God time every day, or am I only making room for Him on Sunday?
If Jesus is going to have first place in our lives, our relationship with Him must extend beyond the church building.
3. Putting God First Means Giving Him Your Time, Talent, and Treasure
Here's another question:
How involved are you in your local church?
Are you simply attending services, or are you actively participating in what God is doing?
I like to talk about three areas:
Your time, your talent, and your treasure.
These are all ways we demonstrate the place God has in our lives.
Give God Your Time
Are you willing to make time for the things of God?
That might mean serving in your church, helping somebody who needs encouragement, or making time to fellowship with other believers.
Life gets busy. I understand that.
Sometimes it feels like we're constantly running from one responsibility to another.
But when we make God a priority, we begin looking for opportunities to give Him our time instead of simply waiting until we have some left over.
Give God Your Talent
God has given each of us abilities that can benefit other people.
Maybe you're gifted in music, technology, hospitality, teaching, or helping others.
Those gifts aren't just for your personal benefit.
They can also be used to serve the body of Christ.
When you get involved in your local church, you have opportunities to use what God has given you to strengthen and encourage others.
Give God Your Treasure
Our finances are another area where our priorities become visible.
If I say that God is first in my finances, I want my giving to reflect that.
For me, that includes tithing and supporting the work of ministry.
The point is that we shouldn't separate our relationship with God from the practical areas of our lives.
If God is first, that priority should influence how we use our time, our abilities, and our resources.
KEY TRUTH
Putting God first isn't just about what we say. It's about giving Him first place in our time, relationships, finances, and everyday decisions.
4. Why Being Connected to a Local Church Matters
I remember a conversation I had with a friend.
He told me that he wasn't attending a local church, but every Sunday he made sure to sit down and watch a particular preacher on television.
He was receiving teaching from that ministry, and he wanted to know whether he should financially support it.
I told him that if he was being fed spiritually through that ministry, supporting its work was a good thing.
But I also had to share something else with him.
He wasn't connected to a local body of believers.
He wasn't regularly fellowshipping with other Christians.
And he wasn't using his time and talents to serve alongside them.
He was giving financially, but there were other parts of Christian fellowship he was missing.
Now, I'm thankful that we can watch teaching on television and online.
But watching a sermon isn't the same thing as being connected to a church family.
We Need Fellowship With One Another
Jesus said in Matthew 18:20:
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
And Proverbs 27:17 tells us:
“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
Think about that.
Iron sharpens iron.
How can I encourage you, strengthen you, or demonstrate a godly example if I'm always sitting at home by myself?
How can we build one another up if we're never spending time together?
We need fellowship.
We need encouragement.
We need opportunities to serve.
And we need relationships with other believers who can help us grow.
That's one of the reasons being involved in a local church is so important.
Putting God first includes being willing to become part of what He's doing through His people.
5. Anything You Put Before God Can Become an Idol
When God gave the Ten Commandments, the first commandment addressed something very important.
Exodus 20:3 says:
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Now, when we hear the word gods, we might immediately think about idols or false religions.
But I want you to consider something.
What if the thing competing with God for first place in your life is your job?
What if it's your vehicle?
What if it's your hobbies?
What if it's even another person?
Anything we consistently elevate above God can begin occupying a place in our lives that belongs to Him.
And I'm not just talking about somebody else.
I've been there myself.
There Was a Time When Other Things Came First in My Life
When I was younger, I didn't have everything together.
I wish I could tell you that I always put God first, but that wouldn't be true.
There was a time when I wasn't going to church.
I invested a lot of my time in cars, sports cars, trucks, and the friends I spent time with.
Those things had become more important to me than my relationship with God.
But you know what?
Thank God He never let go of me.
He kept dealing with me.
He kept drawing me back.
And eventually I reached a place where I made the decision to give Him first place in my life.
That's why I want you to be honest with yourself.
Is there something in your life that has become more important than God?
Is there something receiving the attention, commitment, or devotion that should belong to Him?
If there is, it's time to make a change.
6. Putting God First Strengthens Your Relationships
Let me talk about my marriage for a moment.
I have a wonderful wife.
I love her very much.
But she understands something about me.
I love God first.
God comes first, and then my wife.
And the same thing is true in her life.
I know she loves me, but I also understand that there's someone who comes before me in her life.
That's God Himself.
And that's a good thing!
Because when we love God first, we learn how to love one another the way He wants us to.
God's Word teaches us how to treat people.
It teaches us how to love.
It teaches us how to walk in patience, kindness, forgiveness, and understanding.
So when I put God first in my marriage, I'm not neglecting my wife.
I'm allowing my relationship with God to influence the way I love her.
That's an important distinction.
Putting God first should make us better at loving the people He has placed in our lives.
7. A Healthy Relationship With God Requires Healthy Priorities
Let me give you another illustration.
Think about high cholesterol.
We know that unhealthy cholesterol levels can contribute to problems in the body, including buildup in the arteries and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Now, think about your relationship with God.
What happens when we continually fill our lives with things that pull our attention away from Him?
Television.
Social media.
Entertainment.
Unhealthy influences.
Things that constantly compete for our thoughts and our time.
Not everything on television or social media is bad.
But there's certainly plenty of junk out there.
And when we continually give those things priority over God's Word, they can begin affecting our spiritual lives.
It's like allowing something to build up that shouldn't be there.
Over time, our relationship with God can become unhealthy.
We can begin drifting toward choices that lead to sin, shame, and guilt.
We lose sight of who we are in Christ.
And we find ourselves feeling distant from the very One who should be first in our lives.
That's not where we want to be.
I don't want to allow anything to become a barrier between God and me.
I want a healthy relationship with Him.
A strong relationship.
A relationship built on His Word.
And that starts with making sure my priorities are in order.
8. When God Is First, Your Priorities Begin to Fall Into Place
Have you ever felt like everything in your life was out of order?
You're busy.
You're overwhelmed.
You're trying to manage all your responsibilities.
And it seems like nothing is lining up the way it should.
Here's what I want to encourage you to do:
Put God first.
God is a God of order.
And when we give Him first place, we begin bringing our priorities into alignment with His Word.
That doesn't mean we'll never have problems or difficult circumstances.
But it does mean we have a foundation for making decisions.
Instead of asking only what we want, we begin asking what God wants.
Instead of allowing everything else to determine our schedule, we intentionally make room for Him.
Instead of letting our circumstances dictate our priorities, we allow God's Word to guide us.
And as we grow in that relationship, we begin learning to recognize His direction in our lives.
That's why understanding how to hear God's voice is so important as we learn to follow Him.
9. Putting God First Should Make You Want to Share Him With Others
Here's something else I've noticed.
When God has first place in your life, you become excited about Him.
You want other people to experience His goodness.
You want to share what He's done for you.
Think about how easy it is for me to talk about my wife.
I love my wife, and I have no problem telling people how wonderful she is.
I can brag on her all day!
Well, why shouldn't I be even more excited to tell people about God?
Why shouldn't I want to share His goodness with my friends, neighbors, and the people I meet?
When your relationship with God is healthy, talking about Him becomes something you genuinely want to do.
You're not ashamed of Him.
You're excited about what He's doing in your life.
And you want others to know Him too.
That's part of what happens when Jesus becomes more than somebody you think about on Sunday.
He becomes the center of your life.
10. How to Start Putting God First in Your Life
Maybe you're reading this and realizing that God hasn't always been your first priority.
So where do you begin?
Here are some practical steps.
Make Time for God Every Day
Find a time that works with your schedule.
It might be early in the morning, before you leave for work, or when you arrive at your office.
The important thing is making time to spend with Him.
Spend Time in His Word
Don't depend entirely on what you hear at church.
Open your Bible throughout the week.
Learn what God says about your life, your relationships, and your decisions.
Make Prayer a Priority
Talk to God regularly.
Bring your concerns to Him.
Thank Him for His goodness.
Develop a personal relationship with Him.
Get Involved in Your Local Church
Don't simply attend and leave.
Build relationships.
Fellowship with other believers.
Find opportunities to encourage people and serve.
Give God Your Time, Talent, and Treasure
Look at the resources and abilities God has given you.
Ask yourself how you can use them to honor Him and help others.
Examine What Competes for Your Attention
Be honest.
Is there something you're consistently placing before God?
What changes do you need to make?
Make a Commitment to Keep Him First
This is where it all comes together.
Putting God first requires a decision.
And it's a decision we continue making as we go through life.
What Place Does Jesus Have in Your Life?
I want to leave you with the same question we started with.
What place does Jesus Christ have in your life?
Is He first?
Or is He somewhere further down the list?
What are you willing to change to give Him first place?
Maybe there's something you need to rearrange in your schedule.
Maybe you need to spend more time in His Word.
Maybe it's time to become involved in a local church.
Or maybe there's something you've allowed to become more important than your relationship with Him.
Whatever it is, I want to encourage you:
Give God first place in your life.
Not third.
First.
Build a healthy relationship with Him.
Build a strong relationship with Him.
And let that relationship influence every other area of your life.
Because that's the kind of relationship God wants us to have with Him.
Ready to Put God First in Your Life?
At West Houston Christian Center, we’re passionate about helping people know God’s Word, grow in their relationship with Him, and become the disciples He has called them to be.
We are a Go Ye church—making disciples, living by faith, and walking in love.
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