“In the beginning God ....” Four simple words that communicate a profound truth. In the beginning—before anything or anyone else existed—God was there. He was and will always be first. There is no time before God. He always has been and always will be. God is the central character. He commands center stage in everything—existence, creation, time, life, history, redemption and eternity. There’s a story that’s been going on long before you arrived on this earth and one that will go on long after you’re gone (i am not but i know I AM, Louie Giglio, pp. 12–13).

From the moment we take our first breath, we act and think like the universe revolves around us. History is replete with examples of our insatiable quest to make our names, fortunes, fame and kingdoms as vast and enduring as possible. Our founding fathers proclaimed that every single person has the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We’ve bought into that sense of entitlement and embraced a mindset of “it’s all about me.” We live as though life is our own epic movie and history is our story—as though earth is our dwelling place alone, life our playground and God our servant (that is, if we decide we need Him at all). In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

In his book, It’s Not About Me, Max Lucado says, “God does not exist to make a big deal out of us. We exist to make a big deal out of Him. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s all about Him.” Acknowledging that fact and embracing it frees us to experience life, and life more abundantly—the way that God originally intended for it to be.

It’s so much more than just putting God above every area of our lives; it’s about putting Him first in every area of our lives. Modern-day believers can fall into the trap of compartmentalizing all the areas of their lives into two nice, neat little boxes: the sacred (which contains everything related to church) and the secular (which contains everything else). But our relationship with God isn’t ethereal or abstract, it is deeply practical and profound. God desires to be a part of every aspect of our lives—not just the “religious” or just the “sacred.” The Bible never makes a distinction between the sacred and the secular. Paul says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17, NIV; emphasis added). Not only do we need to put God first in our faith, but also in our relationships, stewardship and time.

Placing God first and foremost in every area of our lives—where He rightfully belongs—brings us the assurance and peace that our lives truly have meaning and purpose in something so much larger and grander than we could ever imagine.

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. ~ Scottish Catechism