He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (WEB)

I heard a terrific sermon this past Sunday. Not that every sermon isn’t inspiring, but this one most definitely had my name on it. Or, it had special meaning for me.

Verses 15 through 18 were discussed in the first chapter of Colossians, but it was the last verse that stood above the rest. You see, Jesus Christ does have a prominent place in my life, but as the verse clearly states, that position isn’t good enough: He must be preeminent.

Is there a difference? Most certainly. We all have things that are prominent in our lives, stuff that we consider to be more important than other things. A hobby; our jobs; our relationships with a spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc. can all have significance for us. Even God can be important, but being important doesn’t mean that He has first place.

Allowing Jesus to have preeminence in our lives means that everything that we do or say flows from Him. He isn’t one among many – He is our everything. Just as God will not share His glory with another, He will not allow us to settle for allowing Him to simply be prominent in our lives. Prominence may sound important, but it means that His place in our lives is being shared with something else.

In my youthful days as a Christian, such a revelation would have thrown me into despair, causing me to excessively examine my plight and beg God (repeatedly) to forgive me. Today, I heed the Spirit’s correction and immediately respond by repenting and receiving His forgiveness.

It doesn’t matter what thing or event was in the way for, “we are all like sheep and have gone astray.” The Good Shepherd is faithful to restore us when we slip or when we allow anything else to supplant His rightful place on the throne of our hearts.

Think about it: Is Jesus prominent in your life or is He preeminent?

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