Have you ever heard the Christian mantra, “God wants to be our number one priority”? Perhaps you’ve heard it in this format: “God first, family second…” and so on. Depending on how you take that, there may be a kernel of truth in it, but for the most part I want to debunk it. Does that shock you?
Let me pose it to you as a question. Do you really think God wants to be a priority among priorities in your life? Now we’re starting to get to the heart of the matter. You see, God doesn’t want to be your highest priority, He wants to be your greatest love (Matthew 22:36-40).
Why am I making this distinction? Does it matter? Yes, it does. I’m not just “splitting hairs!”
Perhaps the following scenario will help. If you’re married, let’s say your anniversary is coming up and it’s a big one, so you go out and spend a wad on your bride. But just before you give her your anniversary gift you divulge to a friend that your primary motive in buying the gift is merely out of a sense of duty or obligation to her and this event—because it’s expected. Unfortunately, your wife overheard your conversation. How do you think she would feel? Chances are your wife wouldn’t even want your lousy gift now. She wants your love and affection, not obligatory duty. And so, it is with God.
When commitment, priority, duty, or obligation are the primary drivers in our relationship with God, we draw attention to ourselves rather than to God. Remember the prayer of the proud Pharisee? “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.” (Luke 18:11-12 NLT) His prayer reeks of duty, obligation—and of self-praise. But when we make God our greatest love, we express to Him His great worth to us. We live our lives selflessly to Him purely out of love for Him. We make much of Him. We boast about Him before others. We praise Him, adore Him, and worship Him. We love Him.
I love what John Piper says, “God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.” When we start living for God out of pure love and affection for Him, we draw attention to Him. We also experience extreme joy in serving Him because we simply want to please Him. William George Jordan observed, “Duty is a hard, mechanical process for making men do things that love would make easy.”
In Psalm 37:4 it says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (NKJV) For years, I wondered what that really meant. Now I know. You see, when we “delight ourselves” or deeply desire the Lord, He satisfies that desire! He gives us Himself.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 73:25
Personal Application: Memorize Psalm 73:25 and meditate on it. Make God your greatest love.
Personal Application: What safeguards can you place in your life to prevent you from ever quitting your relationship with God? To whom do you look in your life for encouragement and accountability?
Jim Grassi, D. Min.
We cherish any verse in Scripture that reminds us to keep focused and intentional about evangelism and discipleship. “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5