“Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.” Colossians‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The gun shot is startling, but expected. Feet begin flying over the ground. A trail of dust rises behind each participant, hanging in the sun-filled air. Arms pumping. Concentration etched into every face. Each pair of squinting eyes focused on the same point: the line painted across the track and the tape stretched across the width of it. Each heart overflows with the same goal: Break the tape! Get across the line first!

First. First means so much to so many. First across the finish line means glory and honor. It means success and validation.

First loves are often among the most influential relationships of our lives.

First in birth order for centuries has meant inheritance and prominence in family position. First.

What does first mean to you, my friend? Are there times that you have delighted to be first? Maybe you were called on first to give a presentation. That is not the first we want, is it? That first means anxiety and pressure and fear of failure or humiliation. First.

Scripture declares that Jesus is first in everything. So, what does that look like in your life and mine? Is Jesus first in your everything? How might keeping Jesus first in all things make a difference in your life? First.

First: He is the Head. We think of head as meaning authority, and it does, but the word used in the original language also can refer to the source, such as the head of the river. In that way Jesus is my life-source. When I remember that Jesus is the source of everything good in my life, that every beautiful sunset originated with Him, that the robins returning with the spring start their journey in His imagination… when I can connect with that, how can I keep from singing? How can I keep from bowing my will to His? All things come from Him. Everything in my life starts with Him. He deserves everything I am in return.

Jesus is also called the Head of His body, the church. The head of the body is the command center. All body systems get messages from the head, the brain. The head of the body is where everything starts. Every thought, every action, every idea, every emotion begins in the brain, the head, the command center. If Christ is the head of the body, everything starts with Him. First.

What if that were true in my life and yours?

First: He is the Beginning. The definition of beginning is “the point in time or space at which something starts.” He is the starting point for all of creation. He is the origination of resurrection. Think of that! As believers in Christ you and I hope for the resurrection, for life after death. All of that originates with Jesus. No cross. No tomb. No resurrection. No hope. The resurrection is our hope. Hope begins with Christ.

Hope disappears when my gaze is drawn to destruction, despair, pain and chaos. You and I see it every day. Not just in the news, but in the lives of those around us. Sometimes in the lives of those we love the most. Since He is the one who originated hope through his resurrection, when I get distracted I need to go back to the beginning, the beginning of hope. I need to return to Christ. I need to return to His cross.

Jesus went though the pain and despair first so that with the resurrection He now offers us hope. I need that hope on a daily basis! How about you?

First: He is Supreme. Supreme means “highest in rank, power, or authority” but also means “highest in degree or quality; most extreme or great.” Of all who do or will rise from the dead, physically and spiritually, over all the death and despair and hopelessness, He is highest, greatest, most powerful and full of the most authority.

Okay, so what does that mean to you and me as we live our lives? It means that when it looks like evil is winning, or pain or fear are in control, when it looks like all is lost, He is greater. He is greater than the fear. He is greater than the anxiety. He is greater than the despair. He is greater than EVERY evil. You and I may not be able to see how everything is going to turn out in our personal world or on the other side of the whole earth, but we can be confident that He who is Supreme holds it all in check. Regardless of what I see now, I can be sure that the Supreme One will work it out. No power is greater than His. He is First.

The one who crosses the finish line first is the one who gets the prize, the honor, the glory. Jesus went first into death and rose first into new life. He made the way for you and for me. In this race, the race of following Jesus, it doesn’t matter when I cross the finish line. As long as I am following my life source, the Supreme one, the originator of hope, I win. And so do you, my friend. Keep running!

Key Thought: When I make Jesus first, everything else falls into place.

A Scripture to Consider: “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

A YES Challenge: Where are you distracted from keeping Jesus first? Write that area on a small piece of paper, then tear it up and through it away as a tangible expression of your decision to keep Jesus first.

Prayer: Lord, so often I find myself focused away from the finish line of following You. Events in my little world and in the big world can often overshadow You. But You are the Supreme one. All things begin with You. You are my life source. Help me to choose You first in all things. Help me to stay focused on that goal above all else and to keep running. Amen.