Highest Priority

Standing in the delivery room, watching my beautiful bride go through the second-most grueling and excruciating experience of her life (this being her second child), I found myself intensely focused.  It was one of those “BIG” moments in life – the kind in which you try to press “record” on your long-term memory as to not forget any detail.  Yet, my mind was exploding with prayer: prayer that Amy would have the strength to get through this, prayer that the baby would be healthy, prayer that this child might always glorify God… 

     As I held newborn Rinnah (which is Hebrew for “joyful song” or “praise”) later that night, it dawned on me just how much the non-essential things in life had faded away.  Suddenly I couldn’t care less about anything on TV.  Once-pressing matters about nursery furniture arrangements totally disappeared.  All thoughts about entertainment, politics, sports, and even work were completely consumed by the one, all-important reality in front of me:

My God is an Awesome Creator.

    In the quiet (Rinnah was sleeping…), I found that I couldn’t help but worship my incredible God.  He had reminded me of both His power and His love; His miracles and His blessing.  Rinnah was proof of both.  In awe of Him, I knew that nothing else in my entire life, including the sweet little bundle in my arms, was worthy of more of my affection and attention than Him.  Simply put, Rinnah’s birth reminded me of my highest priority: to love God.

    Generations of Jews and Christians have understood that loving God is indeed our highest priority.  In fact, even today children of devout Jewish parents learn the passage above before all others.  Referred to as the Shema (the first Hebrew word in the passage), it is the most commonly recited scripture passage in Jewish culture.  Jesus undoubtedly knew it well since He quoted it in Matthew 22:37.  Yet Jesus did more than just quote this vital passage, He added to it: “And the second [most important commandment] is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

     In our culture, many things clamor for the high ground of our priorities.  We are bombarded daily by media that tells us to place money, stuff, and worldly success on top.  Even within our church culture we often give in to the temptation to place something other than God at the pinnacle of our priority list.  Good things, such as a desire to be a good husband, father, student, or employee are all admirable, but they pale in comparison to our call to love God first.  In fact, unless God is the top priority, it is impossible to truly be a good husband, father, student, or employee.

     This idea may sound unusual to those unfamiliar with scripture, but our love for God (and our obedience to His Word) enables us to love others the way that we should.  For instance, Ephesians 5:25 tells husbands to “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”  Without knowledge of Christ and His sacrifice, my love for my wife would be incomplete at best.  Instead, it is only through my following of Christ that I become the husband that Amy desires and deserves.

     Even more unfamiliar, though, is Jesus’ lesson in Luke 14, where He states one of the most potentially troubling verses in all of scripture: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.”   Our love for God should be so great and so complete that our love for everything else, including our families, should seem like hate in comparison. 

      This may sound radical, but unless God by far the most important part of our lives, nothing else will be quite right.  A good (if a little geeky) analogy is a brand new computer, complete with massive memory and a slick graphics card, that has to operate with an old, outdated processor (that’s the brain…).  None of the components of the computer will operate at their highest potential unless the best possible processor is installed.  Likewise, no matter how hard I try, Rinnah will not have the best possible father unless my first priority is Someone bigger than her – and me!

     This matter of making God your highest priority is not a one-time thing.  Instead, it is a constant, continuous struggle.  The good news is that He regularly reminds us and encourages us to do so (and often without any labor pains!).  I pray that we all might learn daily what it is to love our Creator above all else.

Desperate for Him

    Nearly three years ago, I wrote that 9 lbs of swaddled, screaming joy taught me more about God’s tremendous love than 238 lbs of seminary textbooks. Today, in the wake of our newest daughter's arrival, I’m amazed again at how such a small gift can teach us so much about our ultimate Giver.  Like Rinnah (which means “joyful song” in Hebrew), we are utterly helpless and in total need of our God’s provision and grace.  Our best efforts produce nothing but frustration and tears, and we can only find true peace when we’re resting in His arms.

    Unfortunately, all of us are quite self-sufficient according to the world’s standards.  None of us require another’s hand to feed us, yet we must always remember that there are two ways in which we will always remain dependent upon our Creator. 

     First and foremost, we are dependent upon God for salvation.  Our chances of reaching Heaven on our own are about as slim as 4-day-old Rinnah’s chances are of building a functioning spaceship.  No matter how “successful” we become in this world, we must always remember that our salvation is bought and secured by Jesus Christ alone.  Therefore, we should always be willing and able to make our hope visible to those around us.

   Second, we need to recall that we are dependent upon God for abundant life here on earth.  Left to ourselves, apart from His Spirit and His will, we will only make a mess of ourselves.  Therefore, we should always be willing and able to take up our cross daily and follow Him – the One who is both our Savior and Lord.  He is the only one who can give us both hope and purpose.

    Above all others, including even our beloved families, we need to cling desperately to our King – the true source of our abundant and eternal life.  

No Rambo!

    Although I was not allowed to watch the movies as a kid, Rambo was one of my childhood heroes.  Who else could annihilate a whole battalion of enemy soldiers with just a bow and arrow and a really cool knife?  (Ok, I may have watched a little while at a friend’s house…)   He was not only invincible, he was able to accomplish his goals all on his own.  He was, in every sense, an army of one.

    Much to my childhood-self’s chagrin, however, Rambo does not exist.  No modern warrior would dare to go out alone.  Our military is not in the practice of going against all odds.  Battlefield safety is truly found in numbers (and having a few F-22’s providing air support doesn’t hurt!)   

    Unfortunately, Christ followers all too often forget (or neglect) this most basic of military concepts.  Sometimes this occurs when we forget that we are indeed in a battle.  Other times it is due to a Rambo-like complex that convinces us that we can go out alone, protected only by a red bandana wrapped around our ‘80’s big hair. 

    Whether we realize it or not, a spiritual battle is constantly raging around us.  Paul reminds us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers… the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  We may not always see it, but attacks from the enemy are regularly trying to make us ineffective warriors. 

     We need, therefore, we need to always be prepared and protected – both by the armor of God (including the sword!), and by our fellow soldiers.   Corporate worship, fellowship, encouragement, and accountability are incredibly important in this war.  On our own, playing Rambo, we will quickly discover that his story was pure fiction.  But united in Christ, resting in God’s perfect strength, none of the enemy’s attacks will ever overcome us.