PUTTING GOD FIRST 10

Luke 12v16-21: “Then he spoke a parable to them, saying: The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully and he thought within himself, saying, ‘what shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this; I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

I do hope that this series of teachings on putting God first has really being of great help and blessing to you. More importantly, I believe that the Lord is also rightfully taking his place and position in your life as this is one of the primary objectives of this lesson. God deserves to be first and not second or even last in our lives (Proverbs 3v6; Matthew 22v37). As I bring this teaching to an end today, I like to share with you reasons we should put God first. So, if you are ready, let’s examine these reasons.

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PUT GOD FIRST?
i. Because only Him deserves to be first in your life. If you really think about this, you will agree with me that no other person is worthy of such an honour and praise. There is nobody living or dead who can ever do what the Lord has done in your life. If you think about His love, mercy and grace bestowed on you, putting Him first will not be too much at all (Psalm 29v1-2).

ii. Because He is your Lord. He is not just your saviour but also your Lord. As Lord, He is your master and owner. The truth of the matter is that we often don’t understand the concept of lordship. The Lord owns you in the sense that you belong to Him and you are His possession and heritage (1Corinthians 6v20: 7v23). But is He really Lord over your affairs and life? This is why you need to see Him as your Lord and knowing this will also help you to see the reason why He deserves to be first in your life. If you truly acknowledge His lordship, you will have no problem honouring Him in your life.

iii. Because the Lord is a jealous God. I know that this may sound strange but this is a different kind of jealousy. It’s a godly and positive jealousy. The Lord is jealous over you because you are His creature and child. He is not going to share His place and position in your life with anything or anybody. Hence, this is one of the reasons He deserves to be first in your life. He is jealous over you with His love and care because you are very important to Him (James 4v5).
My dearly beloved ones, I believe you have been able to see reasons you need to put God first in your life. I pray that this series of lessons will usher you into a new and better relationship with God in Jesus name, amen.

Other Scriptural References: (Psalm 95v6-7; Isaiah 43v21; Revelations 5v9; Acts 20v28; Isaiah 2v8; 1Corinthians 10v22; Deuteronomy 4v23-24; Psalm 78v58; Joshua 24v19).

Prayer for Today: Lord, I now see the reasons why you should come first in my life. Holy Spirit, please help me to be faithful to you in this regard in Jesus name, amen.

CONFESSION: Father God, I acknowledge your supremacy over every area of my life. I commit myself to putting you first in all that I do and in all my endeavours. You occupy a special place and position in my life and I will not allow anyone or anything to take your place in my life. No amount of silver or gold, status or fame will ever take your place in my life. You are my all in all and I fully surrender to your lordship and direction for my life. Thank you for loving and caring so much for me. I pledge to serve and honour you for the rest of my life in Jesus name, amen.