First in His heart

 

Being FIRST puts many images into my head. First in a race, first in other competitions, first in line, first in my to-do list, first to accomplish something, first kiss, first thing in the morning. The preachers and lyrics of much Christian music say to put God first, give Him my first allegiance, first thoughts, first priority —  yet what does the Word of God say about God being FIRST?

My Bible has more than 380 English ‘first’s with most of them referring to first in a series, like first day, first month, first time. How is God first?

I found many verses that tell me to put God first but only a handful that use FIRST to describe God. The word, in Hebrew and Greek, is an adjective describing Him as “preceding all others in time or space or degree.” Only one verse is specific. The others describe God as all-encompassing, first over everything. Examples:

Isaiah 41:4. “Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.”

Revelation 1:17-18. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”  

Revelation 22:13. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Two other verses say the Lord God is the Alpha and Omega, a figure of speech to say He is FIRST, last and that covers all that is between. One says He “is and was and is to come, the Almighty” and the other says He will “give from the spring of the water of life without payment.” This God is FIRST because He is the source of all that we need and because He is eternal. There is never a time nor a place where God is not and is not primary.

One specific FIRST tells about His love. Most love stories illustrate the principle: someone deeply loves another and that other person eventually responds by loving the one who cares. Thus a strong love also creates a disposition to love other people too. Genuine love is like that; it changes the way people look at their world and the people around them.

This is how it works in the spiritual realm too. As 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because (God) first loved us.” Knowing that God loves me sets my love-hungry heart free. Instead of looking for love from others to feed that hunger, I am more able to consider them and their need for loving care. God is my supply and those who know Him realize that His supply is inexhaustible.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. I’m told that if two people can gaze into each other’s eyes for three minutes without looking away, they will eventually fall in love with each other and get married. Apply that to God. As I focus on Him and His love for me, my union with Him deepens. Not only that, my ability and willingness to love others flows from Him to my heart, just as Romans 5:5 says. This love was the first thing I noticed when He saved me more than fifty years ago. Many things try to thwart it, but Almighty God persists. If I am going to put Him first, then the love He has for me must be my first motivation toward others, no matter how they treat me or ignore me. Love is powerful just as the One who first loved me is powerful. It changes lives and I must always be willing to let it keep changing me.