What is Your Priority?
Come on up to the porch and sit a spell. The sun’s just right, the breeze is gentle, and your smile, well now, that’s a gift fit to brighten the whole neighborhood. Your sweet granny would say, “Don’t go wastin’ that sunshine on the inside of your cheeks. Go on, and let it out!”
Now, Jesus once said something that made folks blink twice: “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else” (Luke 14:26). Sounds harsh till you hear it the way He meant it. He wasn’t tellin’ us to despise our kinfolk. No sir! Even your godly ‘ole uncle would scratch his head and say, “Now that don’t sound like the Good Lord I know.”
What Jesus meant was this: “Love Me so much that everything else looks small beside it.” It’s a matter of priorities, not hostility.
But mercy, how many folks tiptoe around faith like timid army private sneakin’ past his sergeant during boot camp. They’re scared of what others might think, worried they’ll lose friends, upset family, or ruffle feathers. An ‘ole uppity rooster would flap his wings and holler, “You can’t strut with the Lord if you’re scared of a little cluckin’ from the barnyard!”
Truth is, your real priorities aren’t the ones you list. They’re the ones you live. Whatever gets your time, attention, and heart, that’s your number one. Jesus simply says, “Make sure that spot belongs to Me.”
And when He’s first, everything else falls into place: your peace, your purpose, your courage, your joy. Loving Him most doesn’t shrink your love for others; it deepens it. It steadies your steps. It strengthens your soul. It turns your life into a testimony that any ‘ole person would call “mighty fine.”
Father, teach me to love Your Word and understand Your truth. Give me wisdom beyond my own. Place a deep hunger for Jesus in my heart. Remove distractions and fill me with joy in Your presence. Be my first thought in the morning, my guide through the day, and my peace at night. Make my life a living testimony of Your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let your heart stay anchored to the One who deserves the top spot in your life. As you walk through this day, be the disciple who lets every smile you share, every choice you make, and every step you take reflect a love for Jesus so strong, so steady, so unmistakably first place that everything else falls beautifully into line.
With joy,
Gwen
