Pastor Ethan Boese
Who Comes First In Our Lives?
Summer is wedding season. So many young couples profess their love and faithfulness to each other before God, their families, and friends. When the reception rolls around later that day, the evening is filled with laughs and advice for the newlyweds. Some of the most popular advice I have heard is, “Happy wife, happy life.” Another good one was, “Learn to say the words, ‘I’m sorry dear.’ ” Another favorite one was, “When you mess up learn to look down at your shoes and say ‘oops.’ ”
The relationship a husband and wife share is powerful, intimate, and self-sacrificing as they interact together “out of reverence for Christ.” Christ never tells husbands to love their wives more than Jesus and he never tells wives to honor their husbands more than Jesus. Look at what Jesus says here, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me…” Christ still comes first, even over and above our most treasured relationships – a husband and wife, a father and son, a mother and daughter. And if this is true concerning some of our most treasured relationships, the same is true for everything else. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Christ comes first in our lives. Christ comes first in our hearts. Easier said than done. If I kept a tally of moments during the day where Christ came second to my family, possessions, and emotions there would be many lines that I would be ashamed of.
Christ kept us first. As Jesus lived, he lived with us first in mind as our substitute. As Jesus suffered and died, Jesus kept us first as he prayed, “your will be done” to God the Father. As Jesus rose, Jesus kept us first as he gave us assurance our sins were forgiven and destroyed the power of death over us. Still Christ keeps us first as he lives and rules all things “for the good of those who love him.”
I have been told that when a husband does a good job of keeping his wife first in his life that it is easier for the wife to trust in her husband’s decisions.
The Church has her perfect husband. We have our perfect Savor Jesus. Now we live keeping Christ first above all things in our lives until that wonderful day we will sit at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb in heaven celebrating the marriage of Christ to his Church.
Lord’s Blessings, Pastor Boese
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
On each non-communion Sunday, Pastor Boese will invite children of all ages forward for the Children’s Message before the Hymn of the Day. Parents with young children may join them as they desire.
