Jesus First: Learning to Live Fully for Him.
Life can feel like a balancing act. Work, family, friendships, responsibilities, and the never-ending list of things we want to accomplish… they all compete for our time and energy. In the middle of it all, we often ask ourselves: Where does faith fit into this? How do I live for Jesus when there’s so much else demanding my attention?
The truth is, following Jesus isn’t meant to be just one part of our lives - something we fit into the margins when we have a few spare minutes. It’s not just about Sunday mornings or a quick prayer before bed. Jesus calls us into something far deeper.
He calls us to build our entire lives around Him.
That might sound overwhelming at first. But when we pause and reflect, we realise that everything we have - every breath, every relationship, every opportunity, it all comes from Him anyway. So when Jesus asks us to put Him first, it’s not because He wants to take something away from us - it’s to invite us into the kind of life we were always meant to live: full, free, and grounded in His love.
Why Jesus First?
There’s a passage in Matthew that answers this question beautifully:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33
This verse doesn’t mean that if we put God first, life will be perfect, or that every wish we have will suddenly come true. Instead, it’s a reminder of order. When we put Jesus at the centre, everything else falls into its rightful place.
Think of it like the foundation of a house. You could spend endless time decorating the walls, arranging the furniture, or hanging beautiful art, but if the foundation is cracked, the whole structure will eventually crumble. Jesus is the foundation. Without Him first, nothing else can hold steady.
Loving God With Our Whole Selves.
In another moment, Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest. His answer was clear:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
Notice the words Jesus chose - all. He’s not calling us to love Him half-heartedly or only when it’s convenient. Instead, He invites us to love Him with every part of who we are: our emotions, our thoughts, our choices, our daily rhythms.
This doesn’t mean we stop caring about the people around us or abandon our responsibilities. In fact, it’s the opposite. When God is first, our love for others actually grows deeper and stronger, because it flows from the endless well of His love.
A Relationship, Not a Checklist.
For many, faith has felt like a long list of do’s and dont’s. Go to church, say your prayers, read your Bible - and if you don’t, you’re failing somehow. But following Jesus isn’t about checking boxes.
It’s about relationship.
Think about the people closest to you. You don’t schedule time with them just to cross it off a to-do list. You spend time with them because you love them, because you want to know them better, because being with them brings you joy.
That’s the invitation Jesus gives us. It’s not religion for the sake of religion. It’s devotion. It’s surrender. It’s love.
The Cost of Following Jesus.
Of course, Jesus never pretended that following Him would be easy. He spoke honestly about the cost of discipleship. In Luke’s Gospel, He says:
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple… So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27, 33
Those words can sound intense. And they are. Jesus isn’t calling us to a life of half-measures. He’s calling us to give Him everything.
But here’s the good news: when we give Him our all, we’re not left empty-handed. Instead, we gain something far greater - true life!
Jesus puts it another way in Mark:
“Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Mark 8:35
It’s a paradox that can be hard to grasp until we experience it. When we cling tightly to our own plans, dreams, and desires, we may feel like we’re in control, but often we end up anxious, restless, or unfulfilled. When we release those things and surrender them to Jesus, we discover peace, purpose, and joy that nothing else can give.
A Life Transformed.
The apostle Paul described his own experience of this surrender beautifully:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Galatians 2:20
Paul wasn’t saying he no longer existed. He was saying his life had been transformed. The old ways of striving and controlling were gone, and his life now found its meaning in Jesus.
That’s the transformation available to us too. Following Jesus doesn’t mean our personalities disappear or our unique gifts vanish. It means those gifts are reshaped, redirected, and used for something far greater than ourselves.
Worship as a Lifestyle.
Often, we think of worship as singing on a Sunday morning. And yes, worship through music is beautiful and powerful. But Paul reminds us that worship is so much more than a song.
“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1
Worship is every part of our lives laid before Him. It’s how we work, how we treat people, how we use our time, how we respond to challenges. It’s choosing to honour Him not just with our words, but with our choices.
What It Looks Like Day to Day.
So what does it look like, practically, to put Jesus first? It’s less about big dramatic gestures and more about daily rhythms of faithfulness:
- Starting the day with Him. Whether through prayer, scripture, or quiet reflection, giving God our first moments helps align our hearts for the day ahead.
- Making decisions with Him in mind. Before rushing into choices, asking, “Lord, what honours You here?”
- Serving others. Looking for ways to love and bless people around us, even in small ways, as an overflow of our love for Him.
- Trusting Him in uncertainty. Choosing faith over fear when the future feels unclear.
- Resting in His presence. Remembering that He’s not asking us to strive endlessly, but to walk with Him in grace and peace.
These practices aren’t about earning His love - we already have that fully and freely. They’re about learning to live from that love, with Jesus at the centre.
Jesus First. Always.
At the end of the day, the invitation of Jesus is simple, yet life-changing: put Him first. He is the Source. The Reason. The King.
When He’s first, we don’t have to hold everything else together by ourselves. We don’t have to live in fear of missing out or running dry. We find our strength in Him. We find our hope in Him. We find our purpose in Him.
And when our lives are built around Jesus, everything else - our families, our work, our dreams, our challenges… they can rest on a foundation that will never crumble.
Jesus first. Always.