Putting Jesus First
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 NLT)
Putting Jesus First…What does it mean? What does it look like?
Jesus said that in order to be his follower, we must deny ourselves (turn from our selfish ways), and take up our cross daily.
Deny yourself—everything in your life has to be less important than Jesus. This includes what you want: for Christmas, to happen next year, in your job, and for your family.
Take up your cross daily—that means you must make a daily decision to deny yourself. Not just once on the day you receive him, but every day. Make your wants, your goals, your rights, your thoughts, and your actions secondary to what Jesus wants for you to do and to be.
Putting Jesus first.
It’s the easiest thing to understand and the hardest thing to do.
Putting Jesus first means wanting him so much that everything else is secondary. It means actively seeking him every day. It’s not living in a passive way. It’s not making “good Christian decisions” and calling it a day. It’s not even about “What Would Jesus Do.”
It’s about “What Will You Do” to submit to Jesus.
Are you intentional about seeking him? About reading the Word? About prayer?
Are you willing to give him the reins to your life—to let him decide where you will go and what you should do? Do you bring him into every action and every thought? Do you ask him how he wants you to spend your days? Who to befriend? Whom to help?
When you seek Jesus’ input through prayer and Scripture, you put him first. Your life becomes a daily conversation with him—a journey that flows out of relationship, which is so much more fulfilling than anything you could come up with.
Put. Jesus. First. Every day.