Do The First Things

      To be a Christ-follower means, very simply, to be a person who follows Christ.  This statement may seem to be too obvious; however, the truth of it is wrapped up in its application.  It is so easy to make the claim of being a Christ-follower but to actually do very little practically in one’s life to do what Jesus says.  This is true with the basics of Christian living.  For example, the golden rule too often for Christians is “He who has the gold makes the rules” or “Do unto others before they can do it unto you” rather than the rule of loving your neighbor which Jesus gave to us.  It is also true with the personal directions that the Lord gives.  When we start out following Jesus our hearts just want to spend time with him, but somewhere along the way it changes into doing stuff for him.  This was the mistake that the Ephesian church made (see Revelation 2), and we need to be aware that we are every bit as susceptible to that same mistake.  
      Now is the time for Christ-followers everywhere to return to the first things, and that would be to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.  If we take care of the first things, then the Lord will lead us in the second and third things and so on.  But if we fail to return to the first things, we are in danger of substituting activity for life.  The Lord came to give us life, but that life is not a commodity.  Life is Jesus.  As we walk in Him we have life.  With all of the return to organic foods and simple lifestyles that the world around us is embracing, let us as those who follow Jesus return to where our relationship with Him began.  Let us filter out the additives and preservatives that are the trappings of the American Christian lifestyle.  Let us come back to the first things.  Let these words of scripture resound in our souls.  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)