Your First Love Must Be First

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." 
Ephesians 5:21 (NIV)

Have you ever wondered why God created Adam alone at first, before Eve? He could have created them at the same time. But there is divine wisdom in God’s creation order.

Picture Adam in the garden, walking with God in perfect fellowship. He had no distractions or competing relationships; it was just pure communion between Creator and creation. God establishes this pattern on purpose: your primary relationship must always be with Him first.

God wanted the first person to know (and every person after that) that our primary relationship is to be with Him. Only after this foundation was set did God bring Eve into the picture. The order matters—vertical relationship with God first, then horizontal relationships with others.

Jesus models this perfectly. In the garden of Gethsemane, He sweats blood but still prays, 'Not my will, but yours.' The Son of God surrenders to the Father. If Jesus needed that vertical alignment, how much more do you?

Paul drops a bombshell on us in today's verse: ‘Submit to others out of reverence for Christ.' Not because they deserve it. Not because they've earned it. Not even because you respect them. You submit because you revere Jesus.

Maybe you're sitting in the car with your spouse after another argument about money. Instead of rehearsing their faults for the hundredth time, ask yourself: When did I last open my Bible seeking God's perspective on the issue? This morning, when you woke up irritated about your last fight, did you talk to God before talking about your spouse?

Watch what happens when you seek His face before you confront their faults. When you put Jesus where He needs to be in your life, He'll show you exactly where everything else belongs.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me for trying to fix my relationships while neglecting my relationship with You. Today I surrender afresh to Your lordship, trusting You with my need to be right! Teach me how to humble myself like Christ, so that I obey you fully and serve others wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.