Who or what do you put first in your life?  As Christians, our immediate answer should be God.  Sadly, this is not the case with many who call themselves Christians.  While the world puts God last on their list of priorities, that is, if He even makes their list at all, many church members put God somewhere in the middle.  He may not be last in their lives, but He is not first either and first is the only place God wants to occupy in our lives.

Exodus 20:3 (ESV)
³  “You shall have no other gods before me.

We must remember that anything that has a higher priority in our lives than God is an idol to us.

Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary
“…we must be constantly on guard that we let nothing come between us and God.  As soon as anything does, that thing is an idol.”

Not only should God be first in our lives, but there should not be anything else that occupies the same space as God.  Someone says, “Well, God is 1a, but this (whatever it is), is 1b.”  No, God must stand alone on our list of priorities.  Why?  Because if God has competition for the top spot in our lives, sometimes the competition is going to win, and God will be relegated to second place, or lower, on our list of priorities.  There is only room for one master in our hearts, and Jesus tells us why.

Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
²⁴  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Taking inventory of our lives in the area of priorities is critical because it is so easy to slip in this area.  When God’s children fail to put God first, it is usually because life gets in the way.  It is not a sinister decision to replace God; it is often something done without even realizing that it is happening.  This is because most of the time the things that replace God in our lives are not sinful within themselves.  It might be family, friends, or even our occupation.  It is not very rare for members of the church to put these kinds of things before God.

How do we avoid this?  We examine ourselves, especially as it relates to what we are putting first in our lives.  If we do this honestly, we might discover that we have slowly replaced God with something else.  The good news is now that we have discovered the truth, we can get back on track and put God where He belongs in our lives.

A good way to examine our priorities is by asking ourselves a few simple questions.  For example, “How do I spend my time?”   Answering this question will go a long way in revealing what is most important to us.  “How active Am I in my local church?”  Since the local church is where we do most of our serving, if you are an inactive member, it is likely because other things, things that have become more important to you than God, have gotten in the way.  Here is another one.  “How am I spending my money?”  If we find ourselves accumulating a bunch of material things, while our giving on the first day of the week is lacking (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), it might be a sign that we have become materialistic, and mammon has taken over God’s spot in our lives.

It is time to take inventory of our priorities.  If we cannot see that God is clearly first in our lives, we must make an adjustment and put God back on top. Remember, Jesus exhorts us to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).  Are you doing this?    

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.