“He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” Colossians 1:18
God has declared that Christ is supreme. Nothing reaches to his height. He comes first before everything else. This includes all aspects of your life and every part of this earth. There is nothing as dear to God than his Son. He adores him. And he has a burning passion for the whole world to bow before him in adoration and praise. It is a supreme desire that he wills to fruition.
Putting Christ first does not mean to acknowledge him as part of a long list of loves you would rather focus on. It does not mean on Sunday’s only. Preeminence means most important. It means earnestly seeking him (Hebrews 11:6). It means comparingly, your love for him looks like hate for everyone else (Luke 14:26). It means seeking his will, his renown, his glory (Matthew 6:33). Preeminence in everything means every thing—every person, every object, every thought, every act.
We do not get to choose how preeminence is demonstrated. God says what honor to him looks like. He has established how we are to worship the Son. Nor do we decide when it is to be displayed. God has declared Christ is the One who is most important, and we are to live in constant worship to him.
In light of this, no other relationship is as important as fellowship with Christ. Relationships with others are avenues in which Christ is to be proclaimed, heralded, and proven to be the ultimate love and consummate desire of our life. We cannot and must not put other people before Christ. If we do, we are in sin.
Christ’s honor and glory must consume us. Nothing should exceed this in importance. The greatness of Jesus Christ must be shown in our lives so the whole world may come to know how precious and awesome he is, and may come to honor him like that.
Preeminence, one word that has so much impact in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Make your life a living sacrifice of praise to him. He is worthy and deserving of all honor and love and praise.