FIRST

"You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20)

Is it possible to say "I love you Jesus" and truly meant it from the deepest core of our being, and yet find it hard to put Him as our number one love in our life?

We make all kinds of choices daily. Deciding what to eat, which hawker centre should we have our meals; what to wear; to more complex and important decisions of whom we should marry. Maybe we do not realise, that making a choice to love Jesus and putting Him first above all things is also a daily decision.

You shall have no other gods before me. That's the first commandment. Whatever takes first place in our lives, that is the god we worship. It becomes the sorce of our self-worth and the ultimate consideration in decision making.

Martin Luther claims, "That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself is, I say, really your God."

"Your god, " according to J I Packer, "is what you love, seek, worship, serve and allow it to control you."

R Kent Hudges puts it that way, "There are two cateregories of people - true worshippers and true idolators - for all have a god."

Making the choice to give God first place is what the commandment is really all about. To give Him our undivided allegiance. At the core of our being, on the throne of our heart, there is room only for one. That place should be God and God's alone. But the reality of life is that many things compete for God's rightful place in our lives. As believers, it is obvious that we are mindful not to allow club memberships, money, cars, sex (more to mention) to dominate our lives. But subtly and without realising, we may have allowed our own preferences, perspectives, opinions, values and other relationships to take the preceding voice before God. How true it is to say it is the unobvious that we should be paying more attention to. And that is why in this first commandment, God challenges us not only to look at our perception of Who He is, but also at where we have placed our relationship with Him in our list of priorities.

I believe this commandment comes first is because it is foundation upon all of our responses to the other nine will be built. If God is first in our lives, we'll want to live to please Him. We'll listen closely to His instructions and we'll do our best to obey His commands. We make choices to live life His way, to follow His rules and to do what pleases and honours Him.

Someone developed a test using the word 'First' in helping us answering that question if God is number one in our lives or not?

F stands for the word Focus. Identify what occupies our thoughts most of the time. When we are winding down at night, when we get up in the morning, when we've got free time. What do we think about?

I is for Income. Where are you spending your money? Where you spend your money says volumes about our relationship with God. Jesus said, "where your treasure is, there your heart will also." (Matt 6:21)

R = Relationships. Our relationships with other people, how we treat and interact with others. Are we practicing forgiveness or bear grudges. The people we choose to hang out with, the people we choose to avoid and our reasons for drawing near or steering clear of others says a great deal about whether we have given God first place in our lives.

S is for Security. We need to question about our sense of security. The last time we felt inscure, when we needed some support or someone to lean, who did we first turn to? When we are struggling with fears and negative emotions, hurting and struggling, do we turn to God first, last or somewhere in between?

T represents Time. Did I do the things Jesus would have wanted me to do today? What we schedule in and schedule out in our daily routines clarify our life's priorities. Where does our attention and energy spend on?

For the past many years being a minister, I have the privilege of walking and journey with different people from different walks of life. Many times, these people are at the crossroads of making decisions that greatly determine their destiny. The only one question I seek to ask is "Where is God in this decision?"

I am not at my crossroad now. Yet there are still many 'unnoticed' and unobvious choices I have make every day. I want to make this daily decision to love Jesus and putting Him first above all things. And I trust that this verse do help me to stay abiding in Him and guarding myself against being judgemental.

'So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." (1 Cor 10:12)