I opened the refrigerator, anticipating a feast from all the Thanksgiving leftovers. The very first thing that caught my eye was the pumpkin cheesecake pie. From that moment on, I was blind to anything else in the fridge. I quickly cut a piece, smothered it in whipped cream, and started to chow down.
As I was about to take my third bite, I heard my mother’s voice from my childhood, “Eat your meal first, and then you can have some dessert.” I wish I had heeded the voice this time. It would have saved me the sugar rush, the ensuing crash, and the missed nutrition from the rest of the meal that I skipped because I ate two pieces of cheesecake instead. It was not the healthiest choice to put two helpings of dessert first. When we fail to put “first things first,” we miss out on the things that are best for us. Jesus loved his friend Martha and her sister Mary. When Martha was distracted by all that she was doing for Jesus, Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened by being with Jesus. Jesus chided Martha for not “keeping the main thing the main thing.”
Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41-42
Jesus knows that for those who sit at his feet and listen to His voice, good works and all good things will flow. But if we put works first or go after possessions at the expense of God’s presence, we sever ourselves from the very source of our empowerment for good works and cut off the flow from the source of our provision. If we stay connected to Jesus, the vine, then we, the branches, will bear much fruit. God wants us to have good things, abundant provision, fruitful service, successful businesses, blessed families, and vibrant health. The Bible is replete with exhortations that tell us how they all come from putting these first things first:
God’s Kingdom
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33. God’s divine power (not our own) has provided us everything we need through our knowledge of Him. (2 Peter 1:3) We know God by seeking Him above all else. If we seek after what we need, we are bypassing the source of every good and perfect gift that comes down from our Father. (James 1:17)
Seeking God’s kingdom first yields His righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17). Lack, want, striving, and conflict all stem from seeking our own kingdom in our own ability.
We don't seek God to get; we get because we seek God. “Seek the Lord… He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:27-28
Prayer
First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people. 1 Tim 2:1 AMP
We have the Lord’s Prayer because the disciples recognized that Jesus prioritized prayer and asked them to teach them how to pray. Mark wrote that:
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Mark 1:35
Jesus prioritized his connection with the Father in prayer, which led to all the miracles, deliverances, and healings. History confirms that prayer was a priority in every significant move of God.
Jesus quoted Isaiah saying, “My house will be called a house of prayer.” The first believers “devoted themselves to… prayer.” Paul, Silas, and Timothy told the Thessalonians to “Pray continually… for this is God’s will for you.”
God's Holy Spirit Presence
The disciples probably thought that their first priority was to go and do what Jesus told them to do. But Jesus said to wait for the Holy Spirit. As Jesus’ disciples today, God’s presence through Baptism in the Holy Spirit should come first, before bold preaching, before miracles, before the building of the church.
God told Moses to lead His people out of bondage and into the promised land. Moses’ first concern was not the journey or the destination, but he wanted to make sure that God’s presence was with them.
God said, “My presence will go with you. I’ll see the journey to the end.” Moses said, “If your presence doesn’t take the lead here, call this trip off right now.” Exodus 33:13-14 MSG
Like Moses, who wasn’t willing to take a step without God’s presence, and the first-century disciples, who waited for the Holy Spirit, God’s presence should be a priority for our worship, our lives, and our service. Jesus' last words to his disciples were, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. The promise of His abiding presence were Jesus’ last words. It should be our first priority.
The Gospel Just before promising his continual presence, Jesus gave the disciples his final instructions:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:18-19
Jesus authorized us with a mission to make a priority. Salvation for everyone is God’s will.
God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth… is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 1 Tim2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel… by which you are being saved… For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… so we preach and so you believed. 1 Cor 15:1-4,11
Jesus gave us the Gospel mission as his final instructions, and Paul considered the Gospel of first importance. How can it be any less of a priority for us?
Love
In Revelation 2, Jesus told the church at Ephesus how hardworking, patient, persistent, discerning, and long-suffering they were. He also told them:
But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. Revelation 2:4-5
The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that they could speak in tongues, prophesy, suffer for Christ, possess infinite knowledge, and have miracle-working faith, but without love, it was all nothing.
In contrast, Paul said of the Thessalonians:
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:3
The Ephesians had left their first love; the Corinthians had placed activities above love. May we keep the true motive of all our worship and service abounding in the love of Jesus, founded in prayer, and grounded in God’s presence.
Comments