Follow Jesus as Your Priority – July 22, 2019

[Jesus] said to another man, “Follow me.”
Luke 9:59

Follow Jesus as Your Priority

When I was in high school, a friend of mine was driving a number of his classmates along a country road to a school-sponsored event. At one point, he reached over to the radio to change the station. As he reached over, he accidentally turned the steering wheel so quickly and sharply that the car swerved off the road, rolled over three times, and landed upside down in the bottom of a ditch. Remarkably, everyone was okay. My friend didn’t break any laws by trying to change the radio station. It’s a good thing to listen to the radio—except when it gets in the way of safe driving.

There are plenty of good things on which we might focus our attention—our families and friends, our jobs, our hobbies. God brings abundant joy into our lives through a wide variety of means, and it’s good to focus on them—except when we give more attention to them than we do to Jesus.

When Jesus calls individuals to “Follow me,” he isn’t suggesting that he is one of many good things in this world to which we might pay attention. He is expecting to be our highest priority. Why?

Because only Jesus keeps us safe for eternity.

Because our family, friends, jobs, and hobbies are all gifts from him.

Because, when we realize how inattentive we have been to his Word and will, Jesus always treats us with grace.

Because, when we look at the cross of Jesus, we see that his greatest priority will always be to love us.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for making my eternal salvation your greatest priority. Out of gratitude for all you’ve done for me, help me to keep you as the highest priority in my life. Amen.