Before the rest of the year gets away, take a look at how the difference between a priority and a preeminent King changes everything …

The first month of 2026 has vanished with a speed that likely left your New Year’s resolutions gasping for air in the rearview mirror. Whether you charged into January with a color-coded calendar or simply hoped to survive the transition, the initial momentum of “newness” is already beginning to settle into the familiar rhythm of daily life. For followers of Christ, this time of year often triggers a reflexive check-in on our spiritual priorities, usually framed by the common pledge to “put God first” in the coming months. We treat the lordship of Christ like the first item on a grocery list or the lead runner in a race, assuming that if He occupies the top slot in our schedule, we have fulfilled the requirements of the faith.

However, we often mistake sequence for sovereignty. When we look at the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, we find an invitation that is far more radical than a mere shuffle of our priorities. We often read the call to prioritize the Kingdom as a command to give God the first hour of the day or the first tenth of our income. While those practices are disciplined, the biblical intent goes much deeper. Jesus says:

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need,” Matthew 6:33.

The phrase “above all else” does not suggest that God is merely the first in a long line of competing interests. Instead, it signals what must govern all other pursuits, not simply what comes first in sequence. If you place a crown on a king, he does not become the “first” person in the room; he becomes the person who determines the laws and the culture for everyone else in the room. Seeking the Kingdom “above all else” means that your career, your family, your leisure, your anxieties — the entirety of your life — are all filtered through the lens of His will. It is the difference between giving God a seat at the table and letting Him own the house.

To understand why this distinction matters, we have to look at the cosmic scale of who Jesus actually is. The Apostle Paul describes a concept that goes beyond simple priority; he writes of preeminence. This is the structural reality of the universe, not just a lifestyle choice for the devout.

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything,” Colossians 1:15-18.

Being “first in everything” reveals Christ’s true preeminence. The Greek word protéuon does not speak of what comes first on a list, it speaks of the One to whom all creation owes its meaning, purpose, and coherence. Christ is the firstborn over all creation, which means He is the defining reality by which everything exists. He is not measured against anything else; everything else is measured in relation to Him. Preeminence is not about inserting Christ into your life or aligning your plans around Him, it is about recognizing that He is the framework of reality itself! Your work, your ambitions, your struggles, and your decisions are not independent realities to be organized, they are things that exist within the scope of His preeminence. Living in light of this truth transforms how you approach life: it is no longer about trying to put Him first as one choice among many — its not about “sequencing” — but about orienting every part of life in recognition of the One to whom all things belong.

Your calendar will keep moving whether you grasp this or not. The question is not whether Christ can be positioned more carefully within your plans, but whether your plans are being conducted within the supremacy He already possesses. Preeminence does not compete with your ambitions, it defines their legitimacy. It does not wait to be scheduled, it establishes the ground on which scheduling even makes sense. So the issue before you is far more serious than spiritual organization. It is whether your life is being lived as though He is truly first in everything — not first as an item, but first as the One to whom everything answers.

Scotty