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But First, Jesus

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First Things First

First Things First

Last updated on: August 2, 2023 at 5:41 pm by Alicia Casner

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First Things First 2023-08-02T17:41:06-04:00 Alicia Casner

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The Holy Bible, The Word of God

The Bible – Word of God. Pictured – Inspire Journaling Bible NLT

I love that technology allows us to bridge divides hitherto unfathomable. I like to think of our first century brothers and sisters and what they would make of this age in light of Jesus’ great commission to go “unto the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 KJV).

Of course, God knew, even when Jesus was still speaking the words. He knew there would be a time and a place where we would reach one another not in person, but in 1s and 0s, in seconds or even less than. He also knew who would be here – the men and women of this time, just like Esther, here in this very place for a specific reason.

We come from all backgrounds, stories, and lands, but the moment we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are one people. His people. From the first century to now.

And, from the first century to now, life is not easy. There are countless tasks vying for leader in the never-ending to-do list. There are family to care for, jobs to get done, bills to pay, and on it goes.

Add to that the sheer noise of daily living – televisions screaming news of doom; tablets scrolling; phones beeping, blipping, and buzzing; radios crooning … it can be nigh impossible to hear God’s voice. The still, small voice we have chosen to follow.

The enemy’s biggest weapon – Distraction.

So what’s a gal or guy to do? How can we spread the light and Word of Jesus, be loving family members, great workers, tend diligently to our homes, and stay up to speed on the latest Netflix series … okay maybe not that last one, or maybe yes …

Well, while the enemy has his chief weapon, so do we. We have some serious heavy hitters in fact! The biggest three are God’s Word – the Bible, Prayer, and Fellowship.

The last one is the underpinning for why this column exists.

There’s a quote I heard many years ago that has stuck with me. While I do not necessarily endorse the quoter, the meaning is precisely what I hope we can do here.

“We are all just walking each other home.”

~ Ram Dass (Be Here Now, 1971)

It’s hard to try to stand against the tide of need-to-dos the world throws at us when we stand alone. It’s a proven fact that a single tree can easily be snapped in a strong wind, but a stand of trees can withstand all gales for they support each other, diffusing the flow of air across a much larger surface. Let’s be that stand. Let’s do life together as we walk one another home, all the while helping each other keep our eyes focused not on the day-to-day dramas, but on the unchanging Lord, Jesus.

Let’s share in the great gifts, of immeasurable value that are found in this walk we are called to.

Love

1 John 4:19 (NIV)

Wisdom

James 1:5 (NIV)

Rest

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Quenched thirst

John 4:13 (NIV)

Calm

John 14:27 (NIV)

Peace, that surpasses understanding

Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

And infinitely more

My prayerful hope is that this will be a gentle, quiet place in which to share in conversation, to spend time in the Word, to ask the hard questions, to share tears and laughs, and to praise together in both of those circumstances.

Amid the to-do lists, the shopping lists, the social media, meetings, events, and deadlines let’s take a deep breath, sit down for a few minutes together, and say – But First, Jesus.

Fellowship

Christian Living

Faith Walk

About Alicia Casner

A content creator focused on faith, family, finance, food, and fitness (an unapologetic fan of alliteration); Alicia lives and breathes the written word in all its varied forms. She divides her time between work on her first novel, short stories, screenplays, and blogging. You can read more about the author here.

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