who is on first?...

this is the most important test of all. you will have this one many, many times. the priorities test in life is “who will be first in my life?”

what will be first in my life? one of the great promises of the bible deals with this test. matthew 6.32&33 (new living translation), your heavenly FATHER already knows all your needs and HE will give you all you need from day to day if you live for HIM and make the kingdom of GOD your primary concern.

you have legitimate needs in your life. you have some financial needs. you have some emotional needs. you have some relational needs. you have some physical needs. you have some spiritual needs. they are legitimate and they are real. GOD has promised to meet every one of those needs if you put HIM first in every area of your life.

“i’ve got JESUS CHRIST as first place in my life.” saying that means nothing. it’s easy: “GOD’s number one in my life.” i could even wear a t-shirt “GOD is number one!” that means nothing. how do you know if GOD is really first priority in your life?

i ask myself three questions:

1. what do i think about the most? when i have free time what does my mind naturally wander toward? whatever you think about the most is what’s the most important thing in your life.

2. where does my money go first? the bible says, where your treasure is, your heart will be also. it determines your priorities. it reveals them.

3. how do i spend my time? that reveals the priorities in my life.

show me your checkbook stubs and show me your calendar and i’ll tell you what’s really first in your life. i don’t care what you say is number one, what you say you value, what you think is most important. the way you spend your time and the way you spend your money and what you think about most often is what’s really top in your life. that’s why in deuteronomy 14.23 (living bible) it says, the purpose of tithing is to teach us to put GOD first in every area of our life.

just a thought from the front porch…