Jesus First?

January 2, 2023

Is Jesus first or is He just important to you?

That’s a question that will be asked repeatedly in 2023. Let me be the first to ask it: Is Jesus first in your life, or is He just important?

This is an incredibly important question that must be answered personally and with complete honesty and self-awareness because it affects everything about you.

C. S. Lewis stated profoundly, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

What Lewis is saying is, Jesus can’t be just important—He must be FIRST in your life.

This is not new for 2023. It has always been true.

The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Colossae: “He (Jesus) is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything.” Colossians 1:18 AMP

Our mission at NewPointe is to inspire people to follow Jesus and put Him first. It’s been of vital importance from the very beginning.

Moses recorded God’s message to the Israelites, “You are not to bow down and serve any image, for I, the Eternal your God, am a jealous God. As for those who are not loyal to Me, their children will endure the consequences of their sins for three or four generations.” Exodus 20:5 VOICE

When Jesus is not first in our lives, the impact is direct and dramatic. It is not only personally on us, but the impact is felt and seen for generations to come. This might be a major factor in why people look at their adult children and say, “I don’t understand my kids. I don’t understand where they are. We brought them to church. They went every week to Sunday school and youth group.” Well, kids are incredibly insightful and see things without the filters that you have by adulthood. If you aren’t following Jesus daily, where you take them on Sunday makes very little difference.

Because we deeply believe this, we have offered a devotional called Quest 52. It is a15-minute-a-day, year-long pursuit of Jesus. It highlights the key moments from Jesus’ life, revealing His identity, His expectations, His priorities, and His ultimate purpose.

This quest will enhance your understanding of Jesus. If you take it seriously and do it consistently, this year will forever change how you make choices, engage with others, interpret today’s big issues, and even view yourself. Don’t you think you need that?

Pursuing Jesus is the journey of a lifetime.

If you didn’t pick one up yet, you can get one before the week is over at christianbook.com or on Amazon.