Jesus First: The Posture That Changes Everything
There’s a phrase that’s become popular in business and technology circles: “AI First.” The idea is simple—before you tackle any project or task, you approach it through the lens of how artificial intelligence can help you be more productive. But here’s the thing: long before any technology arrived, God established something far more important. He established what it means to put Him first in everything. And that’s what I want to share — maintaining a Jesus First posture in the way we approach our lives.
Moses: Faithful in All God’s Household
In Numbers chapter 12, we read about a sibling rivalry between Moses, Miriam, and Aaron. Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses, and they said, “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does He not also speak through us?” And the Lord heard it. God called all three of them to the tent of meeting, and He let Miriam and Aaron know exactly where they stood.
God said, “If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make myself known to him in a vision. I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my household. I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles. He sees the form of the Lord.”
That is some serious stuff. God was saying, “Moses knows my ways. I speak with him face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend.” Moses had a special relationship with God because he knew how to put God first. And that’s the model for us.
Jesus: The Ultimate Example of Putting God First
When we look at the life of Jesus, we see the same pattern. There were several times when God broke into the scene during Jesus’ earthly ministry and declared His pleasure. At Jesus’ baptism, a voice came from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son. I take delight in Him.” Later, at the Mount of Transfiguration, God said the same thing: “This is my beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him.”
Why was God delighted in Jesus? Because Jesus did what God had called Him to do. He put the Father first in everything. He got up early and prayed. He sought the Father. He didn’t worry about what other people thought or what the religious leaders said. He was putting God first, and the Father delighted in Him.
The author of Hebrews tells us to “consider Jesus.” Not Moses, not the prophets—consider Jesus. Put Him first. When you’re thinking about your decisions and your circumstances, put Him at the forefront of your thoughts.
Putting Jesus First in All Things
In Hebrews chapter 3, we read that Jesus was faithful as a Son over His household, and we are that household if we hold on to the courage and confidence of our hope. The author warns us not to harden our hearts like the Israelites did in the wilderness. Those people saw incredible miracles—the Red Sea split in two, manna from heaven, the cloud by day and fire by night—and still their hearts were hardened because they wouldn’t put God first.
But we don’t have to be like that. We can learn from their mistakes. We can learn to put Jesus first in everything we do.
Hebrews 12 tells us to run with endurance the race set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. Not keeping our eyes on our retirement, not on our difficult boss, not on politics or what’s happening in the world. It’s all crazy out there. But we keep our eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.
I No Longer Live, But Christ Lives in Me
Paul captured this beautifully in Galatians 2:20-21. He said, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
There’s was a change in how Paul did things. He used to live one way, but because of Jesus and what He had done, Paul had a different outlook. He perceived things differently. He looked at things differently because Christ lived in him.
When we adopt this same posture, our perspective on everything shifts. The way we see our jobs changes. The way we approach our finances changes. The way we handle our health and our relationships changes. It’s like thinking about your job and saying, “Okay, things my boss is asking me to do, whatever—it’s not me, it’s Christ inside of me. I’m going to do what the Lord would want me to do in this situation.”
Our lives and the way we live them out have effects that go beyond us. There’s a ripple effect through the people we encounter at our jobs and in our communities. When we approach life with a Jesus First posture, that ripple effect changes everything.
Don’t Commercialize It—Live It
Do you remember the WWJD movement? What Would Jesus Do? That was the right message. We should have that question in our minds as we approach our day, our jobs, our families, our marriages, our finances. What would Jesus want for me here in this place?
But the problem is, we commercialized it so much. We turned it into wristbands and shirts and coffee mugs and Bible covers. And somewhere along the way, we lost the point. The focus became the merchandise instead of actually asking the question and living by it.
The church universal is supposed to be the most powerful force for God on this earth. With the Holy Spirit here, we should be the thing that everybody looks to and says, “I see hope, I see joy, I see peace, I see love—all the things I don’t have in the world.” But we’ve gotten off track because we’ve chased after other things and thought about what the culture wants us to do. We’ve stopped putting Jesus first, and that’s when the problems arise.
Invest in Your Relationship with Jesus
If you truly want to be a believer that God looks at and says, “I am pleased with you. I appreciate the way you’ve taken the blood and sacrifice of my Son and haven’t taken it for granted,” then you have to invest in your relationship with Jesus. There’s no other way around it.
Since the beginning, this has been God’s posture. In the Garden of Eden, He gave Adam and Eve everything and asked for simple obedience. They didn’t put God first. With Moses, God told the people, “You shall have no other gods before me. I’m a jealous God. Put me first.” Then Jesus came, and God said, “That’s it. That’s how you do it. This is my Son. I love Him. I delight in Him. Do as He says.”
We have to maintain a Jesus First posture in everything we do. It means going into every situation being all about Jesus and allowing that to help us make our decisions and frame our point of reference. Sometimes that means changing the whole workflow of how we used to do things and starting to look at life from a new perspective.
The good news is, you’re not completely on your own. God gives you the Holy Spirit to help you live this life here on earth. So take courage. Hold firmly to the reality you had at the start. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of your faith. And go with a Jesus First posture, approaching everything you face with the question: How does Jesus want this?
Peace,
Todd