We should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.When the apostle Paul wrote this in the unction of the Holy Spirit, he wrote, "who first trusted in Christ." He was not praising God that he had trusted in Christ second, third, fifth, or last. He was thanking God that he first trusted in Christ. Why did he make this point?
(Eph. 1:12 )
Trusting in Christ above all else will cause you to live a life that means something. People will testify of the difference you made in their lives. Your friends and family will speak of the great impact you have on them because you never take your eyes off Jesus and trust first in Him at all times.
Getting saved is more than having all your sins forgiven and going to Heaven. Salvation is not living like the world and forgetting about God until you get ready to die. Being saved is belonging to Jesus forever. Your life is His and His life is yours. It means instead of looking to other people and things to save you in your everyday problems, you trust Jesus first.
You cannot fully trust anyone but Christ. You can't trust this world. The news media is frequently biased so you can't trust them. People who don't know or follow the Lord are usually thinking only of themselves and what they want. And how many Believers have turned their backs on God because instead of trusting first in Christ they trusted in some TV preacher who fell?
Even other Believers can compromise, get weighed down with hidden sins and cares, and refuse to surrender certain areas of their lives to the Lord. So it is important that your bottom-line trust is in Christ and Christ alone.
To live a life that means something and pleases God, you must choose to trust Him before you get out of bed in the morning and throughout your day. No matter what hard times you face or desperate situations you find yourself in, you choose to trust Him to see you through to victory. You seek first His counsel and let the Holy Spirit and the Word direct your path.
In 1 Timothy 5, Paul talks about how wives and widows should conduct themselves. In verses 11 and 12 he rebukes the young widows who have turned to worldly pursuits instead of putting God first. The language he uses is extremely strong. He says, "Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith."
Damnation is experiencing the opposite of God's love and blessing. In practical, everyday terms, it means that when you trust in anything or anyone but Jesus, you dam up, block and hinder His blessings and favor from manifesting in your life.
It is hard for Jesus to reveal His love for you and bless you when you don't trust Him first. The widows' first faith was faith in Jesus to save them from their sins and from hell. Once they were assured of their eternal salvation, however, they turned to the world's ways of living. This dammed up the blessings of God and He was unable to bless them. Their lives must have gotten pretty miserable!
As pastors, we too often watch men and women get caught up in the world and begin to fellowship with and even date people who are not saved. There is nothing wrong with having fellowship with unbelievers—as long as you trust in Christ first and keep Him number one in your life. Then you will influence them to also make Christ first in their lives.
But when you begin to confide in and lean on unbelievers or become romantically involved with an unbeliever, you are making them a greater priority than Jesus. Believers who live this way have constant turmoil and sadness in their lives because they leave their first faith to put their faith in the things of this world. They settle for a life that is far below what God has for them and nearly always end up compromising their beliefs and their moral standards.
When you put God first and trust in Him, you won't have to compromise your beliefs or moral standards to have friends, find a mate, or live a valuable and happy life. When you live a godly life you will draw others who also do the same. You will also draw people who may desire to live a godly life. Then, when your life on earth is over, you'll have a sense of peace because you trusted Christ.
Setting Your Priorities Today
His mercies are new every morning! Examine yourself today. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any hypocrisy or self-deception, pride, or arrogance, where you really trust more in yourself or someone or something else than you trust in Christ. Decide that in every moment of today and the days to come, Jesus is the first person you will look to for help and comfort. He is your best friend and wisest counselor. When you set this simple priority, to trust Him first, you will find yourself living a life that means something.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Taffi Dollar is a celebrated author, teacher, and well-known conference speaker. Together with her husband, Creflo Dollar, she pastors more than 30,000 active members at World Changers Church International, World Changers Church-New York, as well as a host of fellowship churches throughout the U.S. and internationally.
