Making Christ a Priority

by Angie Ketcham

Where does God fit into your life personally and as a family? Only a few decades back, it was common that families made faith a priority in their homes. It was understood that Sunday was consecrated as "The Lord's Day" and spending our time focusing on Him, whether in the local church or a setting of the same, was how the day would be spent. Today, the pews in the church are empty as the ball park bleachers are full with cheering fans. Families choose to stay at home and sleep in rather than be in the house of the Lord, building their faith in God.

When we think of idols, we think of the people that have the little statues in their homes of a little Budda or something of that nature. But, the reality is that we have idols that are just not so readily seeable. We have taken our most precious gift of time and given it to everything but God. We spend hours at the ball fields and dance studios with our children. We choose to spend the day at the lake because it's "family time", and don't even give a second thought that God's Word tells us to keep the Sabbath holy, consecrated to God. There never seems to be enough time, and yet God only gets our leftovers. We choose to make faith just something else that we do through the week instead of making it a priority in our lives. It is not surprising that frustration comes because of the absence of God's presence and power.

We are told in God's Word that we are suppose to strive for Godliness. Godliness happens when character aligns with conviction. Conviction is what you really believe on the inside. Character is when what you believe impacts what you do. There are a lot of things that people are doing these days that don't match what they say they believe. Luke 6:45 says that, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  We need to change those things that lead us away from Christ and begin leading our families toward Godliness.

It's time to put down those things that consume our time and steal us away from the our faith. Christ's coming is near. Our family needs to know there is nothing more important than spending time in God's presence, learning more about who He is. We need to reevaluate our priorities and begin making our spiritual health the utmost importance in our daily living. The Bible tells us that we need to become more like Jesus. How are we to become more like Jesus unless we make him the Lord of our lives? Let's purpose in our hearts this weekend to seek God. Visit the local church and hear what God has for your family. Make Christ a priority today!