“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ —for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1: 9-11‬ ‭NLT

Pop quiz! What is your morning routine? You may have never really analyzed it, but you have one. Yes, you do! What do you do first? Do you grab your phone and check social media? New headlines? Email? Text messages? I don’t know about you, but my brain is pretty scattered first thing. I need a few minutes before I focus. But when I start to focus, what I focus on first reveals that state of my heart, what matters most to me. The same is true for you. What does your pop quiz reveal? What is the state of your heart? What matters most to you?

My usual practice has been to wake up, get my coffee, sit in my usual quiet time chair, quickly check weather and my calendar and then open my Bible. News, email and anything else waits until after I have had my time with God. Well, that had been my practice, but recently I have found myself wanting to check the news first. I am not really sure what I am looking for, but I suppose I am looking for a security that I won’t find in “good” news. My pop quiz grade: FAIL!

This time of transition, turbulence and trauma has us all on edge, right? It is so easy to get caught up in it all. But I am going to have to break the news-first habit. Why? Because what I focus on first feeds the rest of my day. I want my days to be spent living for what really matters and the truth is, all those news headlines are here today, but will be gone tomorrow. In order to live for what matters I need to focus on what matters. So, what really matters? 

Near the beginning of a letter to his friends in Phillipi the apostle Paul prays that His friends would grow in love (v.9)  so that they would understand what really matters. Then he goes on to describe what their lives would look like as they began to live in the light of that understanding — pure and blameless lives of righteous character that demonstrate God’s goodness to the world and bring Him glory. To reflect His glory, that’s what it means to be made “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26-27) So, Paul is saying that as they grow in love they will live for what matters and will fulfill the purpose for which they were created. I want some of that, don’t you?!

Paul prays that they would grow in love, love for God, so that they would understand what really matters. Why? How does loving God first lead to a pure and blameless life and righteous character? Let’s think about that. 

Loving God first leads me to what matters most. Like where I focus first thing in the morning, my choices reflect what mattes most to me. If my love for God is what matters most to me, then I want my choices to reflect that love. 

When we love someone we want to please them and in order to please them what do we do? We find out what matters to them and do it. My husband likes coffee. What can I do to please him and demonstrate love? I make sure that I have the kinds of coffee he likes. I take out his mug and put it by the pot while it brews so that it is ready for him when he gets up. Maybe I make a cup of coffee and bring it to him. It’s a small thing, but because it matters to him, it matters to me. 

When I love God first what matters most to Him becomes what matters most to me. And what matters most to the Creator of the universe is what matters most in the world, right?

Loving God first leads me to readjust my priorities. Loving God first means that I want even my small choices to line up with His priorities. I take the time to read my Bible and learn what matters to Him so that I can adjust my priorities to reflect His. Sometimes the adjustments are small and subtle. Sometimes they are challenging and life-changing. But I want to live for what matters most. What matters most? To follow the example of Jesus: “Not my will, but yours be done.” (Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42, John 6:38)

Loving God first leads me to love other people. This is the hardest part, isn’t it? The more time I spend in the Bible, the more I realize that reflecting the glory of God means to reflect the glory of His love because God is love. (1 John 4:8) He demonstrated love to ungrateful and undeserving people like you and me. (Romans 5:8) In doing that He demonstrated what matters most to Him and it isn’t having certain people in places of earthly power. It’s having every person in every place restored to a perfect relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. (John 3:16) If God loved people enough to sacrifice His beloved son so that they could be restored to Him, how can I make anything else more important than the people Jesus died for? I hear you. “But, they...” Stop right there, my friend. God did not retain any “buts” when He sent His Son into the world to save it. The only prerequisite for salvation is the recognition that I am a sinner in need of the Savior. My opinions don’t matter, neither do yours and neither do theirs. God is love. He loves people. All people. Even “them.”

Dear Friend, recent events may make you feel unstable and insecure. That is a normal part of being human. With Paul I pray that your love for God may grow in all knowledge and depth of insight so that you may understand what really matters and live a pure and blameless life in preparation for the unshakeable future ahead when God’s glory is fully revealed in the return of Jesus Christ. I pray that your life will overflow with the evidence that Jesus lives in you, demonstrated in a life of love for God and love for people.

Blessings, Dear Friend. 

Key thought: I discover what really matters when I make loving God my first priority. 

A Scripture to consider:   “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ —for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1: 9-11‬ ‭NLT

A YES challenge: Think back on recent events in your life or in the world. What do your feelings and reactions reveal about what matters most to you? What will you do to make sure that loving God is your first priority?

Prayer: Lord, I say that I love You and that You are my first priority, but the truth is that my reactions, internal and external, don’t always reveal that to be true. I want my love for You to be my foundation. When that really becomes true in me I will not be shaken by anything. I can’t do this without Your help. Fill me with Your Spirit on a daily basis so that You are truly first in my thoughts, feelings and actions. Amen.