As a christian, I think its a given, that our number one priority in life should be God. Whenever God is not the top priority in our life, then things can get really messed up in a hurry. I don?t know about you, but when I find myself frustrated and stressed out continually, usually taking a few moments out to assess my priorities helps me realize more times than not, herein lies my problem. Although I?m a full-time minister, there are many times in my life where God is not number 1, 2, or even 3 or 4 on my priority list. I know that you may be floored by that truth, but it is the truth nonetheless. Ministers, like anyone else, struggle balancing, marriage, family, work, friends, God and everything else. And too often, our personal relationship with God takes a backseat to everything else on our plate.

How do we make God first in our life and what does that look like? Some may think God?s first place in their life because they never miss a church service, and they are always faithful when it comes to paying their tithe. Don?t get me wrong, those are great things, but they are only 2 pieces to a very large puzzle. Putting God first is much bigger than a few acts of religious service. It requires us to make him the center of our lives. It requires us to learn how to make decisions based on biblical principles, not cultural norms. It requires us to live our lives in such a way that we reflect Christ and his character in every area of our life. I?m not saying we are going to be perfect, but at least we should be headed in that direction.

A person who has put God first, allows God to set the direction and agenda for their life. They strive to hear God?s voice and walk in obedience to that voice. They learn to ask themselves these types of questions: What is the kingdom of God reason, I live in this neighborhood? What is the kingdom of God reason, I work where I work? What?s the kingdom of God reason, I?m at this grocery store? What?s the kingdom of God reason, I?m the parent of this child? And they understand that the answers to those questions hold within them a far greater importance than the size of their house, the paycheck they receive, the food their family needs, and the college education they want their child to have.

Tim Stone is a veteran of youth ministry with over 15 years of experience in that field. He currently serves as youth pastor at Freedom Fellowship Church in Magnolia, TX. He is also the founder of EquippingParents.com, a website designed to inform and equip todays parents. For more tools and resources go to http://www.equippingparents.com