In Mark 12:28 Jesus answers a question put forth by a scribe (a teacher of the law) about “which is the first (foremost/most important) commandment of all?” Throughout the year I’ve been trying to encourage, equip, and engage us to the mission of the church. The mission of the church (the members of the family of God) is to share the Gospel with the lost around us (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:4). While the command to share the Gospel is an important one, it is more in line with the secondary command in Mark 12:31, to “love your neighbor as yourself.” We show that we love our neighbor when we share the love of God with them. We share the love of God with them by sharing the Gospel with them.
The motivation to share the Gospel with our neighbors, shouldn’t be to increase our numbers or our contribution or to validate our existence as a congregation. Our motivation to share the Gospel must be because we have put God first in our life. If we claim that God is the first, foremost, most important One in our life, then Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30 that we will “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
This is important as the motivation in our life as a Christian. When God is the One we look to for our relationship issues, spiritual issues, academic issues, and the endurance to live for Him, then we have clearly made God the most important One in our life.
We can make sure that God is first in our life by practicing Biblical spiritual disciplines. These spiritual disciplines include: prayer, reading and studying Scripture, service for the family of God, and worship. If God is first in our life, then we practice these spiritual disciplines with zeal. We relish our time in prayer with God. When God is first in our life, we simply can’t wait to talk to God and so we talk to Him all of the time (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
If God is first, then the Bible becomes our source for enjoyment, information, enlightenment, and direction (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). We read God’s Word, study it, and meditate upon its meaning for our lives and the lives of others.
If God is first, then I will do whatever I do for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). I will serve God wholeheartedly in my family, at my job, and in my community. I will serve the Kingdom of God by helping my brothers and sisters in the church, and by sharing the Gospel with the lost.
If God is first, then I will worship Him, and Him alone. I will never miss an assembly, as long as my health permits. When I praise God in worship, I will sing with all of my heart. I will eagerly give to the work of the church. I will focus and reflect upon the meaning of the Lord’s Supper in my life. I will listen to the sermon shared and make personal application for my life, even if the preacher fails at the task. I will concentrate on those leading prayer and make their prayer my own to God. I will worship God this way because God is first in my life.
Engaging in these fundamental Biblical spiritual disciplines can help us keep God first in our life. When we keep God first we show that we “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” When we keep God first in our life we prove our love for Him. When we have proven our love for Him it shows that we keep first things first.
