"Letters from prison saying we need a better religion" - Hi-Tek, The Sun God (featuring Common)
Question of the day:
What does "Putting God First" mean?
Explanation: My father was baptized on Sunday and he said to me that he is "putting God first in all parts of his life." As I drove home, I kept trying to define what that means. It's not a phrase I would ever imagine myself using but it was also the same Sunday in which I and some friends tried to find some spirituality by visiting The Agape Center but we're such heathens we got denied at the door and ended up worshiping at the altar of syrup and deliciousness known as the Handlebar Cafe at Shutters on the Beach instead.
Rules: Only answer the question in the comments. This likely will lead to other posts about my own heretic's journey into Killing the Buddha but I'd rather not start here with a debate. Definitions only, please.
I look forward to your answers.
Well, when I was attending a Nazarene church, which is quite likely more fundamentalist than your Dad's, it meant becoming more devout, following the Bible's prescriptions more closely. Of course none of that prevented middle-class Christians from eating pork and not taking care of the land as they'd been instructed to, but nevermind all that. I'm not sure what it means to your father, and I'm not sure I've told you anything about the phrase that you didn't already know.
The first time I ever heard that specific phrase was from a (wait for it) student teacher in my high school biology class who was also a baptist minister. He was getting ready to get married and somehow the topic came up about his future wife being the most important thing in his life and he said oh now god is first in everything.
So I'd say the definition is "doing what I think god wants done in any situation no matter what it means to or costs me or others in my life."
Hum, you should talk to my mom about that. What I was raised with was it meant was thinking about God in everything you do. And does it follow the tenets set in the Commandments and all that jazz. Obviously, I'm a practicing Catholic.
It is basically simple - be a believer and follower of the Word. God is all there is and He is enough.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
Matthew 6:33
I do not have anything vastly different than the other posters, but as I see it: this is only a question that can be answered by you. Just as there are many Protestant Christian faiths (raised in a National Baptist Church myself), each of which chose their own definition of what following in the footsteps of Jesus means - the answer can be as trite as a WWJD bumper sticker on you car and as engrossing as an lifelong pilgrimage to absorb and express the teachings of Jesus (here is a good place to start – Matthew 22:35 – 40).
I do believe in the Protestant tradition of a personal relationship with God and while I have not been blessed to hear God speak to me directly, I do believe that by studying the Word of God we can learn what it means to truly place God first in our lives - and that will be different for each of us as we all have our own relationship with Our Father.
I'm trying to figure out why you were denied entrance to a place of worship? I'll put some blessings up for you and your friends... ;-)
well as a regular member and attendee of Agape I would go so far as to say that noone has ever been turned away at the door there, including the lovely young lady in the booty shorts and purple leg warmers..but back to the question at hand
Putting God first to me simply says that I start my day with prayer giving thanks knowing that there is a divinity in each and every aspect of my life. it's that divinty that i seek, that i acknowlege and that i honor, first and foremost.
I'm not born again, nor been Baptized but I love me some God!
I think putting God first means putting Him ahead of yourself. This means, as my mama would say, "letting Him take the wheel of your life and guiding you to what His purpose is for you", something a control freak like myself simply cannot do. Ultimately, just to remember God, because even God just wants some recognition once in a while. Next time you're out and it's a beautiful day, give God His props. After all, does anyone deserve them more than He?