Your First Priority!

"He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him and in and for Him.  And He Himself existed before all things and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). ~Colossians 1: 15-17

When setting our priorities, it is important that Jesus is the holding power of all that is good in our lives, according to Colossians 1:17.  He should always be our first priority because he holds everything together.  

A couple cannot have a good marriage if Jesus is not holding it together. In fact, people have difficulty having good personal relationships with anybody if Jesus is not leading and influencing individuals to love each other.  Our finances are usually a mess without Jesus.  Our thoughts are clouded and confused without Jesus.  Our emotions are out of control without Him.

Colossians 1:18 tells us that Jesus is the head of the church body; therefore, He alone, in every respect, should occupy the chief place in our lives.  If Jesus is not first in our lives, then we need to rearrange our priorities.  Matthew 6:33 says if we seek "first of all" the kingdom of God and His righteousness, other things will be added to our lives.  The Amplified Bible defines this righteousness as "His way of doing and being right."

Seeking the kingdom means finding out how God wants things done; finding out how He wants us to treat people; finding out how He wants us to act in situations and circumstances; finding out what He wants us to do with our money; finding out what kind of an attitude we should have; even finding out what kind of entertainment Jesus approves of.

Our lives will not be blessed if we keep God in a little Sunday-morning box and let Him have our priority attention for only forty-five minutes once a week during a church service.  As long as we are here in this world, we will have to resist becoming like the world.  Life in our world can be a daily battle, but the key to victory is to remember that Jesus holds everything together and that we need to keep Him first in our lives.

~Joyce Meyers (Everyday Life Bible)