I have been thinking a lot lately about life and what is primary.
What in our lives should we put first?
Of course, because I follow Christ, what is supposed to be primary is obvious: Jesus. It’s the next step in my thought process, though, that's been challenging me. How do we put Jesus as primary? Is it by devoting our lives to service? Is it by replacing “secular” activities with “holy” ones? Is it by standing up for the truths revealed in the Bible? Is it by doing something God wants us to do?
Of course these things fit “inside” of the answer, but as I read Revelation 2 and what it says about the Church in Ephesus, I have to think that doing for the Lord is a secondary priority to “remembering our first love." So often, though, my next thought is, "But I'm American, and so the proof is in the pudding. If I love Jesus, I will serve Jesus, so I simply must quickly turn my affection into action. I need to get busy and do before someone starts quoting James 1:22."
I would never argue that doing nothing is the answer, but I keep finding myself just barely getting a glimpse of the feet of Jesus before I start feeling like I should run and help Martha. Perhaps more tragically, I have found myself at times trying to sit at the feet of Jesus only to become a better servant of His. I got it backwards.
I try to make Jesus a means to my service or fruit instead of making Him my deepest affection.
This is my struggle. I am not trying to make it yours if you don't struggle with this, too. I hope you read this and you feel like you have permission to be with Jesus a lot more than you thought was okay before. I hope you feel permission to say no to a service opportunity or a church activity in favor of spending time in the presence of God to love and be loved by him.
I think we might have to park our ideas about “our impact” and “our legacy." We will have to tame our cultural urge to produce a product at all times. Only then will we be able to feel comfortable making the trade from “doing for” to “being with.”
Let’s try and just spend time “remembering our first love."
