Sermon Snipets: Debt Free – Putting First Things First, Part 2

A few years ago, I discovered a different way to walk out my Christianity. And it changed my life dramatically. Though we’ve been taught in our culture to see things as a list of priorities in a linear fashion, ordered 1, 2, 3, the Bible teaches something totally different. The Bible doesn’t teach us to place Jesus at the “top” of the list, it teaches us to place him at the “center” of everything. Think of it this way: God is at the center of life and all other aspects: family, church, job, finances, relationships, etc. are like the spokes of a wheel. They all stem from the same source: your relationship with Jesus. And the deeper your walk with the Lord, the more he begins to influence each “spoke”. Jesus came so that he could saturate every area of your life. And that happens simply as you draw near to him. See, it’s a change of mindset – a much more organic or natural way to live the Christian life. That’s what Jesus describes in John 15: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain (abide/dwell within) in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.”

 Okay, how about this illustration? For a moment I want you to pretend you are a bathtub – what type of bathtub is totally up to you. You’re welcome to take creative license in that regard. Okay, what happens if you turn on the water on and leave it on? Eventually what happens to the water? It overflows. The Christian life is the same way. The Holy Spirit affects areas of our lives as he “spills” over into our marriages, family, jobs, friends, etc. The problem most of the time is that we don’t allow God’s presence to fill us up and overflow into our lives. It’s what Paul described in Galatians where he says we should be “filled” with the Spirit. We feel crushed under the weight of our schedules, commitments, and obligations when we refuse to be led by God’s Spirit in the little things. To be filled with the Spirit means to allow God permanent influence over all our decisions, even the ones we think we don’t need any help with. It means to make him the boss.

 If Jesus is placed at the center of life, then we will place first things first. That doesn’t mean placing one thing above another. Or even choosing one thing at the expense of another. It means placing Jesus at the center of all our life decisions – so much so that our reliance on him impacts how we live our life. That brings a level of clarity and contentment that isn’t consumed with deadlines, expectations and time constraints. Christians weren’t meant to live from the top-down. They were meant to live from the inside-out. It’s a purposeful life where Jesus is given the opportunity to live life through us as we remain in him and he remains in us.

As we close, let’s look back at our text for this morning, specifically verse 33. “Seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be yours as well.” Now that we understand what it means to seek the Kingdom of God above all else, let’s focus on the second part. I love the Greek language behind the English text here. Some translations say “all these things will be added to you.” What things? Well, I think Jesus is talking about peace in the areas of life that keep us so stressed-out: material needs, family commitments, the tyranny of the workplace. But what’s so nice about the Greek is the word picture it gives us. The passage could easily read “all the things you’ll ever need will effortlessly float to your side, waiting for the opportunity to serve you.”

I think that’s what every Christian desires as they struggle to pay their “debts” to society. Jesus did say that God would provide for us. Why should we doubt him? But for all of us, it begins the same way: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else.” In other words, as you place God at the center of your life, giving him access to every part, he will heal those areas that suffer under the weight of life’s constant struggle for peace. Living “debt free” begins when we make the decision to be led by God’s Spirit in everything we do. For as the Apostle Paul said, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”