The Need In Putting Jesus 1st Supersedes Your Biggest Desires

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<Jesus said,>”But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”’ (Matthew 6:33); ‘For physical training is of some value, but Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.’ (1 Timothy 4:8)

A while back, as I was looking for a private gun range that I could join, I found one that I could join in southern Charlotte County. The Sarasota County range at Knight’s Trail is somewhat expensive to go to on a regular basis, as are the indoor ranges in Port Charlotte. The public range at Babcock-Webb is very inexpensive but bogged down with limitations due to the concern bird-watchers have in wanting to wander just behind the berms.

I filled the application to join this private club and waited for a response for several months, and then around Christmas of that year, I received in e-mail an invitation to go to the range for ‘initiation and orientation’, namely a ‘meet-n’-greet’ with the officers of the club, pay the yearly membership fee, and go over the rules and regulations of the said club and range. However, the invitation was to meet on a Sunday morning.

I responded to the e-mail stating that as much as I wanted to join the club, I could not come on a Sunday morning as I have worship services at my church (MBC) that I must attend. I stated I could come any other day of the week at any time of the day, but I could not come on a Sunday. Over the course of the next two months, I kept getting invites to join them on Sunday mornings, and I repeated my reply – I cannot make it as I must place Jesus first and attend church.

Finally, I got an invitation for a Saturday morning meeting, which I joyfully accepted. I went through the initiation and orientation, and have been a member ever since. (Of course, now that I’m a member, I think I’ve gone there to shoot three or four times over the last couple of years…)

It is OK to go to the gym, or play a round of golf, or even go join clubs in the endeavor of your choosing.  As I have stated previously, I am an Endowment member of the National Rifle Association and a contributing member to the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Gun Owners of America, as I believe in the principles of importance to the freedoms given to us by God, and the importance in protecting them, especially the guarantees held in the Bill of Rights (which the 2nd Amendment is a part of). 

However, I cannot allow any endeavor to interfere or be in competition with the most important club I belong to, the Church of our Lord, Jesus.  As important as it is to perhaps practice that golf swing, or to hit the 10x ring from 200 yards out, it is more important to be with God’s people learning God’s Word on Sundays, and (on Monday evenings) teaching (and learning) God’s Word. 

There may be occasions when one can miss a Sunday service.  It should be a rarity and it must be placed in the light of what Jesus provided in Matthew 12:11 or Luke 14:5, where Jesus gives the allegories of pulling livestock or a child out of a ditch.  The accomplishment of the greater good is our goal.  To be with a loved one that you can share Jesus with, or to be with someone who is ill and needs care is obeying Jesus’ ‘One Commandment’ of ‘Love One Another’. 

It can be selfish in a sense if someone needs help, and you ignore that person to go to church, as it is better to attend to that person’s need and miss church, then allow that person to fall into despair and perhaps lose their chance to gain faith in the Lord, or have them fall into harm.  It is also of course ‘Loving Others’ if you are sick with a viral disease to stay home as it is better for the congregation of God for you to keep your illness to yourself.  God loves you, and He will understand those times you may not be able to make it to church on Sunday, as long as it is something that is valid (in His eyes, not our human eyes) and you have prayed to Him about.

But what of those times when something comes up that is occurring on a Sunday morning that is not church-related and not for assisting others?  The question then becomes, will uplift God or uplift self?  Is going to an orientation to join a club edifying God on a Sunday morning?  If the answer is no, don’t go. 

The cost of missing an opportunity to join a club or go to an event is less than the opportunity to be with the Lord.  It is not what I want to do, but it is what the Lord wants me to do; if the two line up then move forward.  If it is putting self in front of God, then it is not.  Putting priorities first means setting priorities, and the #1 priority in our lives as a Christian should always be Jesus First!