“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”(Revelation 22:13 NIV)

In our culture, Christ is easily forgotten, discarded, ignored. 

In our hearts, He must always be First. 

Is Christ first in your heart? If He is, it will show through your life. 

You will not walk the way others walk. 

You will not think the way others think. 

You will not pray the way others pray. 

You will not love the way others love. 

You will not be trapped by controversy.

You will live in the light, and the truth will be your daily bread. 

You will be at peace; nothing will deter you in your restfulness. 

Is Christ first in your heart? Does he occupy your heart’s throne?

It will show through your life: inner and outward. 

You will not be led astray by the myriad distractions that seek to allure you away from Him. 

He is simple, and His burden is light, but following Him in our culture is a difficult thing to do. 

Our cultural milieu constantly seeks to seduce you away from your First Love. 

But don’t overreact! Don’t be wary or scared of other people; be wise as the snake, yet harmless as the Dove. 

People are not your enemy. Your enemy is your enemy. He is the spirit of anti-Christ. Anything, good or bad, will suffice to lure you away from Christ. Those good things–acts of service, causes, human rights and justice issues, religious devotion, parental responsibilities, friends, hobbies,  and other such genuinely good things to give oneself to–are equally insidious to your heart if they replace Christ on the throne of your life. Don’t be fooled! Your enemy has been at work for centuries in the business of opposing Christ. Remember, he is opposed to (anti-) Christ in every regard, in every venue, in every field, and in every heart.

Christ must be first in you. In your own strength, ingenuity, and brilliance, you remain wholly incapable of facing the onslaught that is coming (and that has already come) to the earth. 

In Christ, through Christ, and by Christ alone will you overcome the enemy of your life.

JESUS, BE LORD OF MY WHOLE LIFE AND MY FIRST LOVE, THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF MY HEART’S THRONE, NOW AND FOREVERMORE. AMEN.