In our efforts to put God first in everything we do I think it is important to remember that we cannot be the ones who define how we put him first, we must let him define it.

In Proverbs Solomon puts it this way.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” – Proverbs 1:7 (NIV)

The New Century Version says: “Knowledge begins with respect for the Lord,but fools hate wisdom and discipline.”

My father has always been a very wise man, he has always strived to give me wise counsel and direction. When I was younger I was foolish because I did not respect him, I felt that he did not hear me or understand the things I was going through and therefore could not know what was right for me. Years later I can now see how that pride caused me to miss something very critical about my Dad. Beyond all that wisdom and experience that he had, his driving motivation in trying to guide me was because he loved me.

Did he make mistakes? Sure. Are there things he might do differently if he had the chance? Most likely. But I would never ask him to change his motivation, it is because of that I have gained a respect for him that now causes me to seek out his wisdom and counsel.

Jesus said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” - Matthew 7:11(NIV)

We will never put God first in our lives until we believe that he is wise, loving and cares for us. We simply won’t until we gain a healthy respect for who he is. Until we “fear” him. I am not talking about being afraid. Listen, I was afraid of my dad when I was younger, he could do things to me that I did not want him to do, but that fear did not drive me to seek his counsel, it just kept me from doing things that would bring consequences. It was my fathers love and consistency that earned my respect, and now it drives me to seek out his counsel and wisdom. God’s desire is for us to run to him as a loving father. Putting him first means we desire to know what he thinks and that we respect him enough to take his advise. You know one of the greatest mysteries is that God completely deserves our respect and yet he gives us the choice as to whether we will give it to him or not.

So, let me ask one question. What else does God need to do to earn your respect?