FIRST PRIORITY
Greetings church family!
I’d like to share a true story with you from the June 26, 1995 issue of U.S. News & World Report,
On paper, Michael Hillis was a sound enough pilot. When things went wrong, though, the 29-year-old captain tensed up. For that reason, Hillis had been asked to leave Cincinnati-based Comair, but he caught on quickly with American Eagle, and was at the controls of Flight 3379 as it descended toward the airport in Raleigh, N.C. At exactly 30 seconds after 6:33 p.m., two minutes and 4 miles from the airport, a panel light in the cockpit lit up. Hillis and his copilot, Matthew Sailor, had been trained to recognize the light as a signal that an engine had quit. Quickly, they set about determining which one. In doing so, however, they forgot about flying the plane. At 1,400 feet, the Jetstream 32 began to drop fast. Hillis and Sailor reacted immediately. It was too late. The plane smashed into the woods, and 15 of the 20 people aboard died, including Hillis and Sailor. Investigators pawing through the rubble came to a surprising conclusion: Neither of the plane's engines had failed at all. Most likely, the light was faulty.
Let’s note in this story that the light needed to be attended to, but not at the expense of flying the plane. An important issue was prioritized over a much more important necessity.
In our fast-paced, constantly connected world, the concept of “setting priorities” often feels like managing a never-ending checklist. We juggle work, family, friendships, finances, health, church involvement, and countless other responsibilities. Life can begin to feel like a frantic scramble, with each day ruled by the tyranny of the urgent. But Scripture constantly reminds us that our priorities are not just practical decisions; they are deeply spiritual ones. The way we order our lives reveals what we value most.
Jesus gives us a clear directive on the believer’s first priority in life. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is addressing worry — about food, clothing, and the necessities of life. In parallel with the panel light from the aforementioned pilot story, God isn’t saying those things are unimportant; rather, He is reminding us that they are secondary. When we make God’s kingdom — His reign, His mission, His righteousness — our first and foremost pursuit, then everything else falls into its proper place. Not necessarily into ease or luxury, but into divine order.
To “seek first” implies an intentional choice. No one drifts into kingdom-centered living. It requires conscious realignment every day: Who or what is ruling my heart right now? What am I chasing? If the first thing on our minds in the morning and the last thing at night is something other than God and His purposes, we may need to reset our priorities.
Priorities are more than scheduling tools — they are heart decisions. Our priorities show what we love, and love always drives our actions. That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
If we treasure status, our priorities will reflect that. If we treasure comfort, entertainment, control, or achievement, we will orient our lives around those things. But if Christ is our treasure, it will be visible in our time, our decisions, our finances, and our relationships.
We can say “God is first in my life,” but the real evidence lies in how we actually live. What gets our first and best? What gets sacrificed when time is short or energy is low? What fills the blank in the sentence: “If only I had _______, I’d finally be satisfied”? That blank often reveals a misplaced priority.
So today, pause and ask:
What is currently first in my life? What does my calendar or spending say I value most? What am I actually treasuring that God might be asking me to reprioritize?
When we seek first the kingdom, we discover that everything else finds its rightful place. The stress eases. The noise dims. And we find ourselves walking in peace, purpose, and joy — not because life is perfect, but because our hearts are fully rooted in our greatest treasure - Jesus Christ!
Isn’t it amazing to know that God is for us, God is with us, and God loves us? Let’s seek Him first above all else!
Blessings!
Pastor Chris
