There will be many questions today that only you can answer. I want to open today’s thought a little differently. I want us to pray.

     Prayer: Most Gracious, Heavenly Father, before we even ask anything we want to take this time to say thank you. You are full of love and compassion. For your sacrifices and unlimited mercies, we thank you. We ask that you will anoint our ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. Mold and tenderize our hearts to receive this message. Give us the strength and boldness to denounce the idols in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

     What is your chief identity, who holds first place in your heart, what is of utmost importance, or who is your first love? Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” is the main point of today’s thought. It’s all about your heart; it’s about my heart.

     Let’s go deeper: Is your chief identity that of a Christian first or do you exalt your blackness, your whiteness, or skin color above your identity in Christ? This question drills at the heart of who you identify with. God’s Word says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” When you and I accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we should no longer identity with our old life, our old identity-this includes our skin color.

     Is your political affiliation of utmost importance to you? Do you agree with their platform knowing that God and His Word says something totally different? A familiar passage in James 1:22 reminds us, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

     The time has come for each of us to take our stand and for those who truly believe in Jesus to keep His Word. What good is your lip service without your heart and every part of your life being fully devoted to Jesus? Today, all of these things are idols-our skin color, political affiliation, sexual orientation, fleshly desires, and the world’s norms or opinions. These things should never come before our first love who is Jesus. Jesus over everything should always take precedence in the life of a Christian.