The Revelation 2025

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Christian Priorities: Putting God First

Establishing the correct priorities in our lives is vital for our success as Christians. We must always be putting God first.

German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe grasped the importance of priorities. He said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Stephen R. Covey in his bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People put it this way: “As a longtime student of this fascinating field [of life and time management], I am personally persuaded that the essence of the best thinking in the area of time management can be captured in a single phrase: Organize and execute around priorities.”

He also wrote: “One of my favorite essays is ‘The Common Denominator of Success’ written by E.M. Gray. He spent his life searching for the one denominator that all successful people share. He found it wasn’t hard work, good luck, or astute human relations, though those were all important. The one factor that seemed to transcend all the rest … [was] putting first things first” (1990, pp. 148-149).

Setting the right priorities is vitally important for success.

And, it turns out, not just for material success.

The Bible sets priorities that lead to eternal life

The Word of God tells us that it is vital to put our priorities in the right order and then carefully cultivate each one with zeal and enthusiasm.

Consider three of the most important eternal priorities.

Christian priority No. 1: God must come first

When God gave the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai, He thundered these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:2-3).

God does not want us to place anything before Him. His desire is that we worship Him and Him alone. He must come first in our lives.

The Bible tells the story of two sisters, Mary and Martha, who were loyal friends of Jesus Christ. When Christ visited them, they wanted to serve Him in the way each considered was most important. Let’s pick up the story:

“A certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’

“And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38-42).

Serving others is highly commended in the Bible, and it is certainly not wrong to serve. But in this instance priorities were an issue. Listening to Christ’s teachings was even more important than food preparation.

How do we demonstrate that we truly love God and want to put His teachings first?

The apostle John provides the answer: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). The evidence that we love God is our striving to keep His commandments.

“He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him” (1 John 2:4-5, emphasis added).

We have to be honest with ourselves. Are we putting our personal relationship with God first, or are we allowing other aspects of our lives to come before the worship of the true God?

Priorities that are in error

The Bible records an incident in which Peter, James and John, who Christ was calling to become His disciples, had their priorities right: “So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him” (Luke 5:11).

On the other hand, the Bible records examples of people who had distorted priorities, and who actually rejected Christ’s offer to become one of His disciples. Read Luke 9:57-62. Apparently, physical comfort and prosperity were of greater importance to some. For others, taking care of family matters was more crucial than supporting Christ in preaching the gospel.

None of their excuses were of themselves wrong. Is it wrong to stay with a father until he dies or to devote an extended period of time to saying farewell to family members? Certainly not! However, Christ was teaching an important lesson: God was not first in their priorities.

Frequently it is difficult to choose between the affairs of this world and Christ’s teachings. Christ stated: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate [love less by comparison] his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26-27).

Christ did not mean we should stop caring for each member of our family. He was simply teaching that we are to put Him first in our lives. Leaving God out of our planning is unwise (James 4:13-16).

Remember Christ’s words: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Once we have set following Christ as our top priority, there is no going back (Hebrews 10:37-39).

Christian priority No. 2: Develop godly, righteous character

What is godly, righteous character?

A well-known educator in religious matters, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote the following definition of perfect character: “It is the ability, in a separate entity with free moral agency, to come to the knowledge of the right from the wrong—the true from the false—and to choose the right, and possess the will to enforce self-discipline to do the right and resist the wrong” (The Incredible Human Potential, p. 138; see more about Mr. Armstrong in our article “The Church: A Worldwide Work”).

In his book The Death of Character, James Davison Hunter wrote: “Does character really matter? The collective wisdom of the ages would say it matters a great deal. In both classical and biblical cultures—civilizations that have been so deeply formative to our own—people well understood there to be a direct association between the character of individuals and the well-being of the society as a whole. Individual character was essential to decency, order, and justice within public life. Without it, hardship was not far off. … Indeed, much of the history of the ancient Hebrews can be told as a story of blessing for faithfulness to God—abiding by God’s standard of holiness—and punishment for abandoning those standards” (p. 4).

Mr. Hunter cites Deuteronomy 30:15-19 as support for his statements.

Our will or God’s will?

When it comes to important decisions, whose will usually takes priority in our lives? Is it our self-will or is it the will of God?

The apostle Paul admonished Christians to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

To be led by the will of God is to embody the character of God—to become like God.

Christ set the perfect example

Christ taught His followers to pray often that God’s Kingdom be established, and that “Your [the Father’s] will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). He said He came to earth to accomplish and carry out His Father’s will (John 6:38).

Even when faced with a horrifying trial of physical pain and mental torment, Christ prayed, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Overcoming our selfish nature and replacing it with God’s character should be uppermost in our minds. As Christ taught: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Christian priority No. 3: Seek first the Kingdom of God

In His Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught some of the most meaningful principles of Christian living in the entire Bible (Matthew 5-7). One of these is: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [mentioned in the previous verses] shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

This verse not only summarizes the first two priorities—focusing on God and His righteousness—but it brings to our attention the importance of the Kingdom of God.

What is the Kingdom of God?

It is the perfect and just government of God that will be established over the earth at the return of Christ, when “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15).

Don’t forget these priorities

God must come first.
Develop godly, righteous character.
Seek first the Kingdom of God.

Religious Zeal: The Bad and the Good

Terrible atrocities today are blamed on religious zeal. The Bible warns of wrong zeal, but it also extols righteous, fervent zeal as necessary for pleasing God.

Zealots of the self-proclaimed Islamic State revel in sharing gruesome videos of their latest brutal beheadings of aid workers, Christians and others they consider enemies of their brand of Islam. If that weren’t enough, they have mass murdered hundreds of people in terrorist attacks, crucified people, burned people alive and enslaved women and children—all in the name of religion.

As horrible as it is to contemplate, IS and other Muslim terrorists aren’t the only violent religious zealots. History abounds with inquisitions, crusades and holy wars. Ungodly atrocities have been committed in the names of many gods.

Such misguided zeal has led some to conclude that religion itself is the problem. Many today would agree with Blaise Pascal’s observation: “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it with religious conviction.”

Of course, humanists and atheists are not immune to the dark passions of human nature, as the Reign of Terror and Stalin’s pogroms witness. Still, why has zeal so often given religion a bad reputation? What leads to a wrong zeal, and is there a right kind?

Dangers and causes of wrong zeal

False religions and false doctrines are major causes of wrong zeal. Misguided ideas about God and how to please Him have plagued humanity from the beginning, leading to a zeal for doing evil that is abhorrent to the true God.

But even those who believe in the Bible can be misled. The apostle Paul was intimately acquainted with zeal gone wrong in his own life, and he deeply regretted it.

We first meet Paul (then called Saul) at the trial of righteous Stephen. The Jewish religious leaders were enraged by Stephen’s testimony about their religious failures, capped by his statement, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:56). To them this was blatant blasphemy! They ran at him, cast him out of the city and stoned him to death.

“And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ … Now Saul was consenting to his death” (Acts 7:58-60; 8:1).

For Saul, this was just the start, as he zealously “made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (verse 3).

His was a zeal based on wrong information, motivated by a jealous desire to protect his religious heritage. He and the other zealots had no doubt they were right. They made no allowance that they might have gone astray—that God might not be pleased with their persecution of the Church.

Saul’s zeal was sincere, but he came to see it was sincerely wrong.

Like Saul’s, wrong zeal is often based on wrong knowledge, wrong motives (hate) and a wrong self-image (pride).

With all the problems that zeal can cause, should we just give up on it?

Dangers of lukewarmness

God is not pleased with the other ditch either. A lack of zeal can mean a lazy, lukewarm approach to Christianity. If you read through the Proverbs, you clearly see God’s perspective on laziness—and it’s not a pretty picture. Jesus Himself gave a parable warning us not to be a “wicked and lazy servant” (Matthew 25:26).

Even more telling is how Jesus Christ describes the complacent, self-sufficient church of Laodicea. After comparing them to lukewarm water that would lead Him to vomit them out, He warned:

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ … —I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:17-19; see more in our article “Laodicea”).

Laziness, complacency, self-sufficiency, lack of urgency—these are all pitfalls that can keep us out of God’s Kingdom.Laziness, complacency, self-sufficiency, lack of urgency—these are all pitfalls that can keep us out of God’s Kingdom.

Even those who start with zeal can fall into this trap. Christ said to another of the seven churches of Revelation, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). He urged them to “repent and do the first works” (verse 5; see more in our article “Ephesus”). Without that zealous first love, we begin to drift away from God, to lose the motivation to change and become more like God. Losing zeal can lead to a spiritual hypothermia—which can lead to eternal death.

Considering these warnings, how can we gain or regain that first love—that right zeal—and maintain it?

How to turn first love into lifelong zeal

What does the Bible tell us to do to have and maintain godly zeal in our lives?

1. Seek knowledge. Strive to understand what God really wants. Develop wisdom to discern when and how to be zealous in a way that pleases God.

To grow in godly knowledge, study the Bible daily. For example, read stories of right zeal in the Bible, especially in the life of Jesus Christ.

King David foretold the zeal Jesus Christ would have in Psalm 69:9: “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up.” Centuries later, Jesus’ disciples remembered this psalm when Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple (John 2:17). They recognized that Jesus’ jealous protection of God’s temple was a fulfillment of this messianic prophecy. By calling it “My Father’s house” Jesus was also making “a distinct claim to messiahship” (Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible).

Obviously we don’t have the same role or authority as Jesus Christ had, but we can learn from His zeal and fervently strive to do what we learn from the Bible. Saul (later called the apostle Paul) learned that God didn’t want him to persecute Christians, but to personally learn and obey God’s commands and to zealously spread the gospel of the Kingdom of God instead.

To have godly zeal “according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2), we must immerse ourselves in the Bible—in God’s knowledge. Biblical knowledge helps us recognize the right perspective and a proper self-image. This shows us that instead of pride, we need to:

2. Learn humility.

Our response to God’s knowledge should be repentance and humility, not self-confidence and pride. When we recognize our faults and seek to change, our zeal can be directed at the right targets. We will, like the Corinthians, allow godly sorrow to lead to a zeal to change ourselves (2 Corinthians 7:11). We must master getting the beam out of our own eye before trying to help others remove a speck (Matthew 7:3-5).

Our study of zeal also leads us to recognize the proper motivation:

3. Be motivated by godly love.

God is love, and everything He does is motivated by love (1 John 4:7-11). Love should be our main motivation as well, the wellspring of our zeal. Without love, our actions and greatest sacrifices are worthless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

With love as our foundation, we can zealously seek other spiritual gifts for the right reason. As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel” (1 Corinthians 14:12). Our zeal and our gifts should build up the Church. They must be controlled, not causing confusion, but peace (verse 33).

As Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, we need to regain or maintain a fervent “first love” by doing the “first works” (Revelation 2:4-5). This love comes through the gift of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22).

4. Keep seeking and using God’s Spirit and His zeal.

Jesus said to the Laodiceans: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). We must overcome being lukewarm and complacent by repenting—turning from sin and to God.

Jesus also told the Laodiceans to buy from Him gold (spiritual character refined through trials; 1 Peter 1:6-7) and white garments (righteous acts; Revelation 19:8). He told them to apply eye salve so they could see (spiritual vision comes through the Holy Spirit; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

We must use the Holy Spirit—let it flow through us—to keep it burning brightly in our lives. We must stay close to God, keep praying for the Holy Spirit to renew our minds day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). We must stir up the Spirit, not quench it (2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:19).

There is much more to gaining and maintaining godly zeal. Here are a few resources that can help you in further study:

4 Keys to Defeating Toxic Emotions

There is more to health than diet and exercise. Toxic emotions can be dangerous to your physical and spiritual well-being! How can you overcome toxic emotions?

Bill exercises three times a week, eats heart-healthy foods and watches his sugar intake. But all his efforts could be a waste of time if Bill doesn’t stop neglecting a key area of his health: his emotions.

Bill is an angry man. He hates his job, hates his daily commute, hates that he’s been passed over for promotion three times, etc. Yet most would not know that Bill is so angry. He gets his work done. He doesn’t complain, at least not to his colleagues. But his wife often gets an earful of negativity every evening, and his kids have learned to avoid him.

Then there’s Sue Ellen. She can’t understand why she’s been experiencing heart palpitations and facial tics lately. She thinks there may be something physically wrong with her, but her doctor says, no, it’s just stress. She thinks: It’s true; I do worry a lot. Who doesn’t?

These two scenarios do not represent specific people, yet they depict normal circumstances in which people suffer from an unsuspected buildup of toxic emotions.

The power of emotions

Emotions are essential to our well-being. They are, in fact, God-given. He has not given us good or bad emotions, however, but rather a wide range of feelings that all serve a purpose.

So when do emotions become toxic?

Most of us live in a very passive way. We drift along with the currents of life, experiencing highs and lows: the waves of fear, uncertainty and despair, as well as the surges of buoyancy that highlight times of joy and excitement.

We’re determined to keep our noses above water no matter what, yet we internalize stress along the way. We get used to the nagging headaches, knots in our stomach and the tension in our shoulders. We pop antacids, antidepressants and accept that disappointment, pain, fear, worry, resentment and depression are just a part of life.

But this kind of roller coaster living leaves us feeling a little wobbly, both inside and out, and can deplete us of both physical and psychological health. Consider these medical facts:

There is a mind-body connection; how you feel on the inside affects you physically.
Emotions stimulate the release of hormones into the body that, in turn, trigger the start of many diseases.
Scientists have directly linked emotions to many illnesses, like cancer and heart disease (Don Colbert, M.D., Deadly Emotions, 2006, pp. xi-xii).

In his book, Dr. Colbert discusses how and why certain patients, when faced with an incurable disease, seem to shift their entire focus, reprioritize their lives and, in some cases, actually get better (p. x).

These people make conscious choices in that moment to stop dwelling on negative, painful experiences and instead focus on what really matters: God, family, forgiveness and things that bring them true peace and joy.

For further insight into choosing how we will respond to life, read “The Power of Choice: Complaining, Comfort and Contentment.”

Our power to choose

Consider Viktor Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist who survived one of the Nazi death camps of World War II. He continued to hold out in part because he came to see that there was a gap between what happened to him (the trigger) and his reaction to that trigger. In that gap lay the freedom to choose. It was his personal power to choose his response that defined him, not the horrifying events that were happening around and to him.

The same is true for us. One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the amazing ability to choose how we react to events around us via our thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Healthy thinking leads to greater emotional and physical well-being.

4 keys to defeating toxic emotions

How can we react to situations in a healthier way? Here are four biblical keys:

Pray to God about your worries and concerns. You can cast “all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). His shoulders are much broader than yours, and He wants to help carry your burdens.
Have an attitude of thanksgiving. Focus on the blessings you have received, not negativity (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Try hard to encourage others. Focusing on others takes our attention off our own problems and builds up others (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Proverbs 16:24).
Turn off the noise! To be spiritually and emotionally healthy, it’s important to focus on the important things in life—and minimize distractions (Matthew 6:25-34).

It’s time to stop drifting along, passively reacting to life’s stressors. God wants us to live joyfully, not suffer the effects of toxic emotions.

For further insight into the topic of emotions, read these past blog posts:

What Are You Doing With What You Know?

The truths of the Bible are not just about head knowledge. God wants us to be cut to the heart and to commit to change and grow. Is it now time to act?

You’ve read the articles in Discern and on Life, Hope & Truth. You’ve studied. You’ve diligently compared them with what the Word of God actually states. And slowly but surely conviction has formed in you. You’ve found the “pearl of great price,” the knowledge of the Kingdom of God.

But now what are you going to do with what you’ve learned? Is it now time to act on that knowledge?

What about the Sabbath?

Unless you’re new to this site, chances are you’ve already learned about God’s Sabbath, the fourth of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). You may know by now that your Creator commands His children to rest on the Sabbath from Friday sunset till Saturday sunset. Work is forbidden during that time. Yes, it can be a challenge to rearrange one’s work schedule to follow God’s command in this—but He demands no less.

So isn’t it time for you to begin to keep the Sabbath day holy?

Maybe you’ve read the command for the people of God to assemble on the seventh day, the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:2-3; Hebrews 10:24-25). For some it may be hard to begin to assemble with true Christians on the Sabbath. Yet that is what God requires. It’s pretty clear in the Scriptures. And the rewards are great: time with other like-minded believers, the chance to listen and learn from God’s ministers and to begin a life of Christian growth.

Is it time? And if not now, when?

Perhaps you’ve come to understand the deeper things of the plan of God, including the fact that God brings His plan to fruition in phases. You may by now see that this era before the second coming of Jesus Christ is the era of the gathering of the firstfruits of God’s plan, symbolized by the spring harvests in the Middle East. If so—if God is calling you—isn’t it time for you to respond?

Living, active faith

Christian study should produce conviction. Conviction leads to faith. And faith leads to action. As the apostle James so concisely put it, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

Christian study should produce conviction. Conviction leads to faith. And faith leads to action.He went on to explain the difference between a belief that produces nothing, and true faith that does something. “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (verse 18).

He goes even further: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (verses 19-20).

Just believing, without doing, puts us in bad company! The demons believe, but they are enemies of God whose goal is to thwart the plan of salvation. But when we do—when we follow through on what we know to be right—we share an experience with the rest of the saints of God.

“But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated” (Hebrews 10:32-33).

Those early steps, taking action on what we have learned, may bring struggles and sufferings, but they also bring a great reward in the form of companionship with those who’ve experienced the same.

God wants to see us grow

Jesus Christ likened the preaching of the gospel to a sower of seed going out to sow, not knowing whether a crop would be produced or not (Matthew 13:3-9). Some of the seed fell by the side of the road and was quickly plucked up and devoured by the birds without producing anything (verses 4 and 19). Some fell on the wrong kind of terrain, stony ground, where the seed didn’t put down the roots so necessary for it to grow and produce (verses 5-6, 20-21). The one who receives the seed in this way is superficial and doesn’t produce over time.

Some of the seed fell among thorns—competing claims to our attention, worldly cares, an excessive desire to make money, forces and influences that choke out the knowledge of God’s way of life (verses 7 and 22). Sad to say, this has happened at times, and some have allowed the seed of the gospel to become unfruitful.

Yet there have always been, and are today, those who receive the seed on good, fertile ground, where it takes root, buds and produces fruit of Christian growth, fruit for eternal life (verses 8 and 23).

Could that be you? As Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (verse 9).

Looking for the church behind Life, Hope & Truth? See our “Who We Are” page.

Christ’s call to change

Many who read articles in Discern and on Life, Hope & Truth live in supposedly Christian nations, where the message of do-nothing Christianity is sounded loudly. “Just believe; that’s all you have to do” is the message. The Savior never taught that—nor do those who today teach the same message He taught.

His message was aptly summed up in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). To repent means to change, to make an about-face in one’s life and to live a new life of obedience to God.

And Jesus went further. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). It’s all too easy to talk the talk, but it can be hard to walk the walk.

It’s time

But you’ve read to the end of this article! And chances are you may have learned a lot more. If you’ve come this far and come to understand, it’s time to follow through. It’s time to act on those convictions. It’s time to begin the Christian life.

So what are you waiting for? What are you doing with what you know? True Christianity requires action. God commands it.

Our booklet Change Your Life! takes a step-by-step approach to the biblical teaching about conversion. We encourage you to study it with your Bible and begin to apply it today.