“We rationalize these passages away.

‘Jesus wouldn’t really tell us not to bury our father or say good-bye to our family. Jesus didn’t literally mean to sell all we have and give it to the poor. What Jesus really meant was…’

And this is where we need to pause. Because we are starting to redefine Christianity. We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist Him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with.

A nice, middle-class, American Jesus.

A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that He receives all our affection.”

“Radical” by David Platt.

In small group a few weeks back, our group leader challenged us to write in order of importance, these things in our life:

God. Self. Spouse. Family. Friends. Things.

We were to write, first, what these should look like in order of importance. Then, we were to write them in actuality, how we have set them up in our lives, in view of priority.

I was surprised by the difference of my two lists. It’s something I’ve always known of myself but not known how exactly to address. I put myself first, as we all do. Secondly I place my husband, then  God.

1. Me.
2. Grayson.
3. God.

And it makes me wonder, once this precious boy is born, this little one I already love with more than I ever though I could, will God move even further down that list?

I praise God for the great love He has bestowed on me, and that I share that very love with my husband. I know we have something far unique to the average American marriage. I know I need to love him, as I do, with Christ’s very love, but at the same time, never place him above Christ in my life. Not with my time, not with my affection, not with my thoughts, not with my love. Christ needs to be first. That doesn’t mean I need to love Grayson less. It means that I need to love Christ more.

It means that I need to love Christ with more love than I have ever known myself to posses. With more love than I can ever muster up from my own heart. I need to love Him with only a love that comes from Him. And that will take my whole life, with His working inside of my heart.

Lord, help me to love you more today than I did yesterday.