Is Jesus first in your life?
Today I’m going to talk about very important principle in the Word of God, the principle of the first to God ! You need to understand about this principle! This is a principle in the whole Bible.
Is Jesus first in your life ?
Can you say without hesitation that God is first in your life? Is God in your daily agenda?
It’s silly to say that we don’t have time for God, because if we don’t have time for Him , He is not First in our lives !
Are you trying to find a place to fit God in your schedule? Or would you be willing to say today: God for now on YOU will always come first and I don’t care what I need to let go , what I have to change , what adjustments I have to make, I want to always keep you as first in my life!
Being a Christian does not work out right if God is put on the side lines in your life.
Today I want to talk about putting God first in your life and what that looks like!
Three things occur when we put God first:
1- We honour Him ! – it brings honour to God, and He is worthy of honour!
2- It shows faith ! The Bible says that without Faith it is impossible to please God ! It’s not only difficult, it’s impossible to please Him with no faith. Putting God first is a demonstration of Faith.
3- It unlocks blessings upon our lives!
Genesis 4 it’s the very first record of any human being ever giving any kind of an offering to God.
There is this thing that theologians refer to as the “Law of First Mention”, that when a subject is first introduced in the Bible, we should pay special attention to it , because generally there are some very important principles wrapped up in it.
So here Cain and Abel bring their offerings to God.
Cain was a worker of the soil and Abel was keeper of flocks
“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.”
Genesis 4:3-5
Some people have argued, “well , God didn’t accept Cain’s offering offering because God wanted an animal offering.”
But you know, the Bible doesn’t actually say that. Cain was tiller of the soil and those who made their living growing wheat, grapes , etc , would bring the first fruits of that as an offering to God and it was completely acceptable with God.
Both of them were right bringing an offering from what they did with their lives. But there is a distinction made between Abel’s offering and Cain’s offering.
When Cain’s offering is mentioned, nothing is said about it, it is only an offering in the process of a time. Maybe an offering that didn’t cost anything, maybe just leftovers.
But when Abel brought his offering, it says that it was “The First Born of his flock” and he brought the fat thereof, meaning the first and the best part.
Abel brought his first and best to God. Cain just brought something. Probably something that didn’t cost him much, and certainly not his First and his Best or it would have been mentioned, as it was with his brother Abel.
God respected and accepted Abel’s offering, but He did not accept Cain’s offering.
“So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”” Genesis 4:6-7
God says to Cain : If you do well (that means, if do good or your best), if you give your best, will you not be accepted ?
If you do not do well , if you don’t bring your best : Sin lies at the door !
There are some important things there. Cain did not bring his best as Abel did, and God said : “Look, if you had done just like Abel, your offering would have been acceptable, but the reason why I could not accept it is that there are some other things going on in your life, Cain”
“There is a distance between you and Me, your lukewarm gifts reflects your lukewarm relationship with me
Your lukewarm commitment with the kingdom of God reflects your lukewarm relationship with God.
Abel’s first and best was also a reflection of his relationship with God, where he was with God.
In fact , the New Testament makes a reference to this Story. Let’s read Hebrews 11:4
“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” Hebrews 11:4 NKJV
Abel offered a more excellent – that literally means a better quality sacrifice than Cain, and as we read , he gave his first and his best and Cain didn’t.
Since this principle is so important we find it confirmed in the New Testament. And it says that not only was it an act of faith that Abel brought God his first and best, but it also served as proof that he had a good relationship with God.
So his gift bore witness or reflected where he was with God. He had a good, close relationship with God and this reflected in his choice of offering.
He gave God his first because God was first in his life! Our attitudes serving the Lord and giving Him our time and offerings reflects our relationship with Him.
Cain gave God leftovers because God was somewhere way down on the priority list.
We can never scape the principle : “Where our treasure is, there our heart is also” Matthew 6:21
Our giving and investment of our time in the Kingdom of God and in His House is always a reflection of where we are at in our relationship with Him.
If we don’t give Him our first and our best, He is not first in our life , no matter what we may say! Our attitudes say the truth!
“Honour the LORD with your possessions, And with the first-fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
When God is First and you give Him your first-fruits you are honouring Him! It’s a matter of honour.
In this verses God says to them: “Hey , if you honour Me by giving me the First and the Best part, I will unlock blessings in your life”
You may not be a shepherd, you may not grow corn or wheat for a living , but this principle works also for you too!
God says : Put me first , honour me, give the best of your time , the best of your life and I will unlock blessing in your life !
Im not teaching prosperity gospel, this is a principle of the scripture , this is what the Bible says.
Many things don’t happen for some believers because they do not put God first!
God said: Give me the best of your life and you will see miracles!
God can open doors that no man can shut. He can show you favour where favour cannot be found , He can create connections that you could never achieve for yourself.
God can do things that you could never make happen. Yes, you still need to work hard but God adds a supernatural element to it when we honour Him.
When we honour God by putting Him first we demonstrate Faith and we unlock blessings!
Many things are not happening in our lives because we are not demonstrating our faith by giving Him our First and Best.
God is saying: “if you trust me and give me your best I will I will open doors, I will give you My favour that you cannot do on your own”
God should be First with our family.
Another area in which God must come first is with our Family.
Let’s read Matthew 10; these are some pretty tough words
““Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:34-39 NKJV
Throughout the bible you’ll see that God must come First ! First even before family!
He must be our First Love !
We see in the Bible that God rebukes Eli, God says “You have honoured your sons above Me! 1 Samuel 2:29
Jesus is saying: “God must be first”.
I know a real story of this man who was a muslin, he came to church , accepted Christ , got saved and his father was furious because of it. His dad told him, if you do not renounce Christ, I will disown you. And he told his father : Daddy I love you , I love our family but I love Jesus more because He saved my soul and I cannot renounce Him.
And his father said : you’re no longer my son ! And he had to leave the house and his family and had no more contact with them.
That’s an extremely hard thing to do!
I think some of us maybe don’t think too much about the fact that most of our rewards are on the other side. Eternity is the great equaliser!
Jesus said: If You lose your life for His sake, you will find it.
If you think only about this life you are not going to honour God and give Him your best!
I love my wife , I love my daughters, I love my family but they do not come first in my life!
Also , why am I here in Ireland? I did not come here looking for a better life, I didn’t come looking for a better job or to make money or because I wanted to live in better country.
I lost many good things moving to Ireland to be a missionary here! I was pastor in a big and successful church with thousands members and I lost my family, friends and church for the sake of Christ, because I put God first!
Jesus said : He who loses his life for My sake will find it!
We need to accept it in your heart: God First !
When I love God first and I love Jesus more than my kids and more than my wife I will experience a big change in my marriage and we are going to live a better life in the family.
Because when we put God first our relationship with our wife and children will be better, stronger and healthier.
Why is Abraham the father of faith? Because He demonstrated that God was first in his life by offering up Isaac up in an altar in obedience to God.
God was First in his life ! The Lord must be First even when it comes to our family.
God needs to be first when we are in trouble.
The scripture says : “Fight the good fight of faith” 1 Timothy 6:12
If God is not brought into the circumstances we are living it is not a fight of faith.
“And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.” II Chronicles 16:12-13
I don’t think that God has anything against families, fathers, mothers, children or physicians.
Thank God for medical science, doctors, and all involved in natural medicine.
The bible says it very clear that Asa (Eisa) never sought God at all but only physicians and then he died.
He was a great king who feared God but the Bible is clear: He didn’t seek God first
It can be a dangerous thing when we start to shift our trust from God to all other things that we have and trust.
Many Christians try to first solve all their problems with natural resources then when that doesn’t work they go to God for help.
We must put prayer and the promises in God’s Word before human wisdom.
God uses human vessels to bring His answers, He uses people but we should go to him First and foremost.
We should go Him first when we are faced with conflicts!
Go to God first and He can intervene in ways you never imagined possible.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
We as Christians, we do not need to seek things. We seek God and He will provide us things!
God is not honoured when He is put last! He is not honoured when you use your time for everything you need, for your job, your family, your leisure, your pleasure and He is put last !
Bible says for you not only seek God , but seek The Kingdom of God first! What is the Kingdom of God on earth? The kingdom of God is Here!
Some people say : I have no time time to seek God , I have no time for church , I have no time for meetings, I have no time for prayer meetings.
How do you have no time for the One who gives you 24 hours everyday?
God First is a principle all thought scripture.
Many people don’t understand why we meet on Sunday ! Why ?
Because Saturday is the last day of the week and Sunday is the first day !
1 -Because Sunday was the day Jesus rose from death
2- Because of this principle, they gave the first day to God !
Why do we need go to church on Sundays ? Because the first belongs to God !
When we began our week with God the rest is blessed !
When you began your day with God , the rest is blessed !
When you give the first portion of your finances to God the rest is blessed !
When you put God first in your life all other things fall into their proper place !
Remember: Your lukewarm commitment with the kingdom of God reflects your lukewarm relationship with God.
After listening to this Word : Can you say that God is first in your life ?
It’s silly to say that we don’t have time for God , if we don’t have time for Him , He is not First in our lives !
Are you trying to find a place for God in your schedule?
Or would you be willing today to say : God for now on you will be first and I don’t care what has to go , what I have to change , what adjustment I have to make, I want to keep you as first in my life in everything I do!
Being a Christian does not work out right if God is only a side line in your life. Put God first in everything you do! Live to please the Lord.
Is God first in your life ? Is God first in your agenda ? Is God first in your time ? Is God first in your finances ?
Is the Kingdom of God first in your time?
Take time to acknowledge God , and say : God I need you today , lead me , guide me , keep me on the right path.
Pray and say to Him : Forgive me for not give you my first and my best. I repent from this sin in my life ! Forgive our laziness and lack of commitment with your Kingdom , we repent from this sin ! Father you are our GOD , our creator and maker , Jesus you’re redeemer , our saviour and our Lord. You gave your life , You bought us at the CROSS and we belong you and we want to life for you !
God from now on YOU will be first and I don’t care what has to go , what I have to change , what adjustment I have to make, I want to keep you as first in my life in everything I do!
In Jesus name I pray
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”