First Things First

by Rev. James Wong

Putting First Things First is the essence of good time management! Most people are driven by things that are urgent. Putting First Things First will help us to identify what really matters in life . The Bible talks about the firsts things as follows:

1.  Give God the first part of the Day

David began his day with this prayer, “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord .  Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” (Ps 5:3 NLT).

Jesus told us to “seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Some doctors tell us that the most important meal of the day is breakfast because it determines our energy level and even our moods for the day. Likewise, we need a "spiritual breakfast" to start our day right. Begin the day with God.

2. Give God the first day of the week

God spent six days creating the world and after that he rested from all his work (Gen 2:2-3). He later commanded that his people keep the Sabbath holy, to rest and to worship him. We give God the first day of the week by attending Sunday worship service to honor and worship him. We get involved in ministry and serve him passionately by serving other people. The first sign of backsliding in our spiritual life is our absence from worship service. Giving God the first day of the week keeps us on track with our walk with God.

3. Give God the first portion of your income.

Tithing is giving the first 10% of our income to God. God is our supplier and our work is just a channel through which He supplies our needs.  Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord  Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” If you have not practiced tithing yet, you can increase your giving this year. Test him with your tithing. This is God’s invitation to you to prove his faithfulness.

4. Give relationships your priority

Relationship is among the First Things First in the Bible. Jesus says, "... if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matt 5:23-24). Having a good relationship with others takes precedence over worship! Broken relationship breaks our  witness for Christ.  It is the peacemakers that are known as the children of God (Matt 5:9). To achieve our corporate vision of 10% growth in membership this year, foremost, we need to learn to be a peacemaker in and outside the church. This will be the focus of Rev. Johnny’s sermon for this Sunday. Stay tune.