By: Denny –

In one of my previous posts entitled, Will He Find Fruit, which I wrote just before the November 2024 election, I expressed my concern over the future of America if Donald Trump didn’t win. Now here it is four months later and I can boldly say without reservation and apology, “Thank God he did!” He promised that he would “Make America Great Again” by putting America first. He has done more to keep that promise in the last 50 days than any president has done in their entire four year term in office. Without going into detail, he and his team have upset the Democrat’s bureaucratic apple cart and left them standing like deer in headlights about to be run over. Putting America first involves undoing the status quo of career politicians and appointed bureaucrats who have put themselves first above the American people, which got us in the mess we are in today. President Trump was given a mandate by an overwhelming majority of voters to get America back on the track of common sense. Change and correction carries with it some pain and rearranging of priorities, but the benefits will be worth it in the long run.

This caused me to think about the things we put first in our lives. Often the things we put first are not first things and were not meant to be first. Those things aren’t in themselves bad or unimportant, but are often misprioritized. As a result many people’s lives are messed up, and then they wonder why. I concede that everyone’s list of priorities is different based on their value system. However, some things should not be first. If your job, career, and life ambition is to make more money so that it becomes an obsession, something is wrong. If you spend more time interacting with friends and people on social media than you do talking face-to-face, something is wrong. If your cell phone is stuck to your ear, there may be a problem. My fellow Christian, if your ministry supersedes and takes precedence over your personal relationship and time spent with God or your family, then self examination is needed. Of course it is easy to justify that because after all you’re doing good things and serving God and your church. Have you not read that God desires obedience over sacrifice? Will He be pleased to see what things are first on your list of priorities?

Jesus had much to say about first things. In Matthew 6:33 He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” In Matthew 5:23-24 Jesus stressed a point about giving offerings to God that is unpopular and rarely mentioned in churches. “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” I wonder how many people give offerings to God with bitterness, anger, grudges, and unforgiveness in their hearts and don’t even give it a second thought as to whether He accepts it. A very rich young ruler once came to Jesus asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, whereupon the man said he had kept them from his youth. Jesus told him to first go and sell what he had and give to the poor, then come and follow Him. The man wasn’t willing to do that and went away sad, because he had put his wealth and possessions first. Will the things you have put first keep you from inheriting eternal life also? The First Commandment is: You shall have no other Gods before me. The things we put first before God can become idols we unknowingly worship.

I commend President Trump for uncovering and eliminating the waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending as well as shutting the border and deporting criminals and others who don’t belong here. However, America’s true greatness will only be realized when we put God first where He belongs. You may scoff at that, but the contrary hasn’t been working out so great for us. Perhaps we all as individuals should take an honest inventory of our priorities and begin to “Put the First Things First”. But, the question is, “Are you willing to endure the pain of change?”