what does the bible say?
In Philippians 1:21, Paul says the focus of all he does is glorifying Jesus and making Him known. Many of Paul’s epistles record a life bound up in Jesus—imitating Him, preaching Him, obeying Him, and making disciples of Him (1 Corinthians 2:2). His letters relate his joy, even amid the hardship and suffering he endured, for the sake of proclaiming Christ to others (Philippians 3:8–11). Prioritizing the Lord isn’t just a New Testament teaching, though. In Genesis, Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac showed that God was the center of his life (Genesis 22:10–12). The first of the Ten Commandments, which is foundational to the Mosaic covenant, is the command to put no other gods before the true God (Exodus 20:3).The Mosaic law contained the shema, a prayer Jews traditionally said daily. That prayer included the command to love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4–9). The entire Bible emphasizes that the Lord should be the center of our lives. May we, with Paul, be able to declare "to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21).