God first!

Test time. What are the most important things in your life?

Be honest and be able to prove it. Three things. So I did it. 1) My wife; 2) My friends; 3) Fun.Then I decided to ditch the test.

What will people say about me, a pastor, a religious leader that God is not in my top 3?

Surely God should be number 1? It is at this point that my brutal honesty caused me pain and confusion.

I have actually never met anyone who had God as a number 1 and there was evidence to prove it. Most very religious people claim that God is number 1, but there is not enough evidence to prove it.

My wife as number 1, can it be verified? I think of her most often as a waking thought.

I think of her as I fall asleep. Many people who know me would agree, she is my number 1.

Secondly, I place a huge value on friends. Friends being 1 200 people in our church, plus every person who crosses my path during the day.

Friends are at the core of my existence. Thirdly, fun. A day with no fun in it is a terrible day for me. A ride on my Vespa, playing with my grandson or playing a trick on a friend. ‘Laughter is good medicine.’

But God isn’t in my top 3. It is then that I realised God’s place should not be competition to other things in my life. It is not God or my wife or my friends or my fun.

God should be, must be, the catalyst in every area of my life.

He enriches my marriage, gives meaning to my friendships and protects my fun.

God is not first, but He is most important. Why not do the test yourself?