I Need a Priority Shift

"And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, wether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, and throug Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross" Colossians 1:15-20

As I read this passage I thought back to church yesterday morning. Pastor Lance was saying that we tend to polarize God. He either becomes an almighty, powerful God who is distant, or a weak, powerless God who is near. We fail to see Him as He really is. Jesus, the perfect visible representation and manifestation of God, is sovereign over all creation. All things have been created by Him and for Him. He is Lord of the universe. He has first place in everything. At the same time, God chose to reconcile us to Himself through the cross. Through Jesus' blood we have gone from enemies to friends. We have been brought NEAR. We are children of the almighty. The God who holds all things together, who held His own cross together, holds us.

So what I'm asking myself is, does Christ have first place in my life? What is it in me that displays the hope of the gospel to the world around me? Could others say of me as Paul said of the Colossians, "we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus"? My prayer is that the almighty, powerful God who lives in me would always have preeminence. One place that I've been challenged in this past week is my prayer life. I know that if I want to remain steadfast I need to be in daily fellowship with God. For me that means a definite priority shift. I cannot put Christ first if I'm placing so many other things before Him in my day. What could possibly be that important? If you answered "nothing", you would be correct.