Preeminence means more than “carving out” a little time for God …

The life of a disciple of Jesus Christ requires more than what many pastors are telling people.

Much more.

Too many pastors today will tell you that you can follow Christ by just “carving out a little time” for Him. Spend five minutes reading your Bible first thing in the morning, and toss in a prayer.

The problem is that today’s Christians are people who have followed such advice. And research is telling us that has produced people who profess to be Christians but who do not have a biblical worldview, disagree with several of the most basic and essential tenets of the Christian faith, and are biblically illiterate.

No, you cannot adequately live for and with God by just “carving out” a little time for Him.

So what, then, does God want from you?

The entirety of your life!

Jesus helps us understand what that means by teaching us this: “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind,’” Matthew‬ ‭22:37‬.

The Apostle Paul teaches us that Jesus Christ is to have the place of preeminence in every aspect of our lives:

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything‭‭,” Colossians‬ ‭1:15-18‬.

Most of us can accomplish this demand for preeminence with the lives we’re already living just by making God our priority. But if that isn’t the case, we must be willing to make whatever changes are necessary, regardless of the cost, in order to love God first, most, and to sincerely give Jesus Christ the place of preeminence in all aspects of our lives.

Some might think that’s asking too much, to which Jesus would say what He has already said:

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?’” Matthew‬ ‭16:24-26‬.

Too many pastors are dishonest about the commitment Jesus requires to follow Him because they’re afraid people won’t be willing to make that degree of commitment. But getting them to do less than surrender their lives to Christ leaves them as much outside of relationship with Him as if they openly rejected Him. It’s beyond time we face the truth that following Jesus as His disciple requires a total reorienting of our lives so that He is preeminent and that God truly is the greatest love of our lives.

Scotty