Who's #1?

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

-- Revelation 19:16

The media have long recognized the public's love of lists for who or what is Number One. Peruse the magazine covers while you're in the supermarket checkout line, and you'll see headlines for the Top 10 Muscle Cars, Best Ways to Renovate Your Home and the Year's Nastiest Celebrity Breakups. Television embraces this popular genre through shows like the Top 100 Heavy Metal Videos of All Time, Best Caribbean Beach Resorts and the Greatest Engineering Disasters of the 20th Century. And then there are websites like Ranker.com, which asks its readers to rank their favorites on a wide variety of topics like Best Video Game Franchises of All Time, Greatest Batman Gadgets and America's Coolest College Towns.

When it comes to entertainment and sports, we might speak up for our favorite movie or defend our opinion about the NFL's greatest quarterback. But what about issues of much greater importance? For example, who (or what) is Number One in your life? Is it your family? Your career? Money, vacations or the weekend? Or maybe the answer is as close as the nearest mirror. If it is, you're not alone.

Regardless of your response to this revealing question, King Solomon--probably the wisest man who ever lived--could relate to your perspective. In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, he wrote that he tried every pleasure under the sun to find fulfillment in life. And unfortunately for him, his search in all the wrong places brought him emptiness and sorrow. But we can gain much from the lessons that he learned the hard way.

First, fulfillment in life comes about only when we live for the right person. And in our case, that means living for God by letting his son (Jesus Christ) live through us. Second, we can find fulfillment only when we live by God's standards. After all, what good does it do if we say we're a Christ-follower on Sunday but live much differently the rest of the week?  And finally, we find fulfillment in life only when we live with the right focus. In other words, we need to live with eternity in mind. Careers, money, vacations--and even sporting events--may seem important today. But they'll all pale in significance when it comes to what we do in life to help usher in God's Kingdom here on earth. That's because every Christ-follower is called to be Jesus' personal representative.

Now's the time to look again in the mirror and decide who (or what) is really Number One. Let's consider Jesus' timeless advice on this matter to his first followers. Considering today's uncertain social, political and economic environments, you'll see that his eternal words are both relevant and reassuring:

"Don't worry and ask yourselves, 'Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?' Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things," the Savior tells us. "Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well."