Learning How to Put the Lord First in Your Life

We as a couple have been talking a lot about what it means to put the Lord first in our lives. We all know that we should be giving Him the first place. But knowing what that looks like, and how to get there, is not an easy thing!

We’ve noticed that while we often talk about the need to put the Lord first, we don’t always see that reflected in the way we live. Our words can honor the Lord from morning ’til night, but unless we honor Him in our actions as well, we are living in hypocrisy. No one wants to be a hypocrite!

So what does putting the Lord first look like? The way we see it, it is a combination of desire, knowledge, and action. The first key to the process is having the desire to put the Lord first. Unless we desire to do this, it will never happen. Desire, however, is not enough: it must be accompanied by a proper understanding of Who the Lord is and the choice to serve Him in all our actions.

Recently, we’ve been trying to sort out the practical details of how to put the Lord first in a real and definite way. This post is a summary of our thoughts.

Sin Prevents Us From Putting the Lord First

It is important to recognize the place from which we start our journey. Because we are all fallen creatures with tendencies toward sin, God is not first in our lives. This means something else is. In the Old Testament, we see the Israelite people constantly falling away from the Lord and putting up idols as other gods before God Himself. We are guilty of this in our own time. Though we may not be making a golden calf our “god,” choosing to treat anything as more important than the Lord constitutes a form of idolatry. And a good way to gauge what is most important to us is how much of our focus, time and energy is spent on it daily. Check yourself against the list below: What takes up the most attention? And is it getting more attention than the Lord?

• Money
• Material possessions
• Health
• Education
• Career
• Kids
• Friends
• Family
• Fame/honor
• Self-esteem (or lack thereof)
• Order
• Anxiety/worry
• Approval of others
• Accomplishments
• Power
• Knowledge
• Success

Repentance is the First Step Towards the Lord

Once we recognize that we do not have the Lord in the first place as we should and something else is taking up that space instead, our next action should be to repent. St. John the Baptist and Jesus Himself both preface the message of salvation with this essential step: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). We need to discern what is taking up the first place in our lives. Pray for the grace to renounce it, give it to the Lord, and let Him be enthroned in your heart.

The Sacrament of Confession is an amazing means to achieve this purpose. Christ gave this Sacrament to us explicitly so that He can wipe away our offenses and wash our souls clean, enabling us again to put Him first. Confession actually gives us the grace to amend our lives, that is, to come up with concrete, practical steps to renounce sin and to live a life of virtue.

Putting the Lord First Requires a Relationship

If we want to put the Lord first, it takes more than just inviting Him in. We need to get to know him in a personal way. He wants to be your closest friend! Growing in relationship with the Lord means receiving His divine life through the Sacraments, spending intentional time with Him every day, and making Him our constant focus. If a man’s gaze wanders away from his spouse to other women, he isn’t being faithful to her. In the same way, if your gaze wanders away from the Lord, then you aren’t putting him first. We need to learn to seek His face in all things.

Spending daily time with Our Lord is going to look a little different for everyone because we are each unique. Here are some key elements that can help you begin.

How to Spend the Time

• Morning Offering: A morning offering enables you to offer your entire self to the Lord along with all your thoughts and actions, surrendering yourself to His Divine Will.
• Sacred Scripture: The daily readings for Mass or even just the Gospel of the day are great places to start reading Scripture. It is God’s own words, intended for each and every one of us. We can always draw something out of it that applies to our own specific circumstances. This Bible is what we often use.
• Quiet: As Psalm 46 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” God not only wants us to talk to Him, but He also wants to spend time with us in the quiet, just being with Him and listening to whatever He has to say to us. He is the Lover and you are His beloved. He is gazing at you with unfathomable and unconditional love and He wants you to gaze at Him in that very same way. Being quiet and not buzzing around in your head is really hard to do, especially at first. It is definitely something one has to practice, but it is absolutely worth the effort.

Where to Spend the Time

Find a place in your home where you are not constantly interrupted (if possible) and where you are not totally overwhelmed by all the things you have to do (if possible). We spend our prayer time either in our living room near our prayer corner or in a comfortable chair in our bedroom.

When to Spend the Time

Find a time that works for you to spend in quiet and conversation with the Lord. For us right now at this point in our lives, we try to get up at 5am to spend about an hour in prayer with Our Lord before our kids wake up between 6-7am. Now, this might not work for you depending on the circumstances of your life and where you are at in your relationship with the Lord. And that is okay. Maybe you are not a morning person and cannot even imagine getting up that early. See if you can wake up just 15 minutes before the kids. Or try something else. Your time could be in the morning or the evening. But find a time that works for you and be consistent and faithful to spending that time with the Lord, choosing to put Him first by making that your top priority. And if your kids are awake during the time you choose, you can let them know that you are going to go spend some alone time with Jesus—it is a great example to them!

Putting the Lord First Bears the Fruit of Holiness

Jesus tells us that a good tree bears good fruit. As we seek to know the Lord better and to put Him first, we will begin to see the fruits of it in our lives. These include the lessening of vice, the growth of virtue, healing, positive change, peace and confidence, and an ever-deepening desire to draw others to the Lord. Joshua also likes to check himself against the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you are growing in these fruits, you’re on the right path—the path to holiness!

We hope these thoughts have been helpful to you and give you some concrete ideas for how to put the Lord first in your life. We’re on this adventure together! Feel free to share any additional thoughts in the comments below!