First Things First

"Seek first God's kingdom".  Am I the only person who has trouble getting ahold of what is to be first.  I want to serve the Lord faithfully but it seems everyone I talk to seems to have a different idea what needs to be addressed and done first.  

Evangelism, discipleship, social gospel, justice, be green, support ____________, you fill in the blank.  Yesterday I was leading a class of people who are exploring baptism.  As we attempted to work through my "preplanned theological input", we needed to stop and talk about what following Jesus means in relationships.  We needed to talk about what following Jesus means when having conflict and what it means when using our tongue.  It was wonderful!  Really great people, asking really practical and complex questions.  For me that is seeking God kingdom first. 

Yesterday reminded me that Jesus came for people. Jesus came to love.  I first and foremost must love people where they are, just like God does.  How about you?  Are you loving people first and then giving out the important information you think they must know or performing the important tasks?  I hope so. 

I am learning and relearning that "seeking first God's kingdom" is all about learning to love others first and more effectively.