Jesus at the Center of My Priorities

How easy it can be to separate "holy things" from "worldly things", but in reality, all things belong to God, were made by God, and are sustained by Him.

Jesus at the Center of My Priorities

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

(Psalm 139:7-8)

When we speak of priorities, the visual that pops into most people's minds is a list with God at the top! Something like this, for example:

1. God
2. Family
3. Job
4. Church community
5. Other friends
Etc.

While I understand the heart behind this and think the instinct to place God before everything else is good, I want to challenge you to think of this in a different way.

When you view your priorities this way, it separates God from the other priorities on your list, perhaps making them seem unrelated. Instead of a list with God at the top, what if you viewed the important aspects of your life as spokes on a wheel with Jesus at the center? Something like this:

In this visual, Jesus is at the center, and all of our other priorities revolve around Him. So it's no longer Jesus, then family, but Jesus in my family. Not Jesus, then my job, but Jesus in my work life. Not Jesus, then my friends, but Jesus in my social life. Of course, if you were ever in a situation where you had to choose between Jesus and your job or friends, for example, then Jesus stands in the first place, but in our day to day lives, this paradigm has helped me to not separate the sacred from the secular and to not keep God separate from the other areas of my life, but rather to see Him as central to absolutely everything.

How easy it can be to separate "holy things" from "worldly things", but in reality, all things belong to God, were made by God, and are sustained by Him. Even if you have a "secular job", that doesn't mean that God is separate from it. Indeed, He is there. The Psalmist reminds us that no matter where we go, the Lord is ever-present:

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

(Psalm 139:7-8)

There is no area of your life that is separate from the Lord. Seek the Lord's will for every area of your life. May we not be Christians who happen to be parents, but Christian parents. Not managers who happen to be Christians, but Christian managers. When Christ is at the center of all of your priorities, roles, and responsibilities, His will brings purpose, meaning, and clarity to all areas of your life. A segmented life, with God on one side and everything else on the other, leads to confusion and even hypocrisy, but the life centered around Christ is grounded.

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Podcast of the Week

A Coach's Influence, with Coach Weston Griffis

Pastor Danny welcomes to the show his friend Coach Weston Griffis to share about using his position as a high school football coach to minister to students, as well as to offer some practical tips on sharing the Gospel, discipleship, and mentorship.

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