Luke 9:57–62; 14:25–33

Family Bible Study
University Relations, Samford University; Southwestern Seminary graduate

Put Christ First
Luke 9:57–62; 14:25–33
The average Christian confronts a multitude of constant demands on his time and attention. The needs of the family call every day, along with the expectations of one’s job. Factor in the commitments to the community and family friends and relatives, and a person’s calendar fills rather quickly. Add to this agenda the questions a Christian asks about God’s will and values for his life. How is the Bible to be read so that its teachings become relevant to all of these pressures? So many Christian groups sound calls for the serious Christian to hear their warnings and respond in faithfulness. How can typical Christians answer the call to put Christ first in this arena of demands upon their life? Jesus gives the typical Christian guidance in responding to this challenge from several encounters with average people.

Jesus reserves some of His strongest language to speak of the need to make one’s loyalty to Him supreme among one’s commitments: “Allow the dead to bury the dead”; “No one after putting a hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God”; “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brother and sister, yes, and even his own life, that person cannot be My disciple.”

Supreme commitments, such as the one described by Jesus, mature over time as the believer walks daily and faithfully with the Lord Jesus. This person’s focus of life is stayed on Jesus as any decision is approached or any circumstance is faced, and he regularly seeks to discern and to do God’s will. In time, a character of faithfulness emerges in his life. Christ then indeed is first, paramount and primary in the person’s life. To have a “Christ first” character formed in one’s life, would that mean the person attends church every time the doors are open, accepts every invitation by the church to serve on some board or committee, volunteers for every missions trip and gives tithes and offerings to God’s work which equals 30 percent of his income? While these suggestions may envision a laughable caricature, the challenge remains: “How does a person live out a commitment to put Christ first amid the many demands of family, work, church and community life?”

When Jesus spoke of a builder counting the cost before constructing a tower or of a king first taking counsel before going to war, He was encouraging the Christian to practice discernment and to seek wisdom regarding life’s competing demands. The context of a situation in life and the timing of the opportunity each must be considered when a believer puts Christ first. In different circumstances at different times, doing this will be expressed differently by the Christ-formed character.

Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, tells a story in his book, “It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men,” of once challenging the boys in his Sunday School class to have perfect attendance, come prepared for the lesson and to stay for the worship service. After several weeks, Cathy noticed that one of the boys responded to all of these challenges except for the expectation to stay for the Sunday worship service. Cathy inquired of the boy the reason he wasn’t staying for the worship. The boy’s response was instructive to his teacher. “The Sunday morning hour from 11 to 12 o’clock is the time each week when I can be with my dad to visit and talk.” Cathy pressed the boy further, “Can’t you talk with your dad on Saturday? This challenge for perfect attendance is important to the other boys and to me.” The boy replied, “I understand, but on Saturdays, my dad drinks and so much else is happening. Sunday mornings is the only time when he and I can have time just for us together, so I cannot stay for the worship.”

From this exchange, Cathy learned the lesson he has come to call WIN — What’s Important Now. Sunday School, prepared lessons and the morning worship service are all important, but from time to time, other relationships and commitments simply must take first place, and they definitely are part of the ways a Christian can “Put Christ First.” It is a matter of discernment and decision, which starts with a first step to follow Christ and matures into a character of faithfulness.