Contentment begins here

As a child, the most important value I learned from my parents was to always put God first in my life. Many of you also learned the same thing. Simply put, this means everything we do, say, or think must align with what the Holy Bible teaches. And even though we are taught to pray to God for guidance in our lives, quite frankly, we really don’t have to pray for guidance about what is right or wrong according to the Scriptures. It is already written down for us. The challenge is to obey the Lord consistently.

If you want to know what the basic rules of Christian conduct are, just look at the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. There are some very strange teachings that the children of Israel had to follow in the Old Testament. How are we to know what teachings we are to follow today since we are not the Hebrews of thousands of years ago? Well, if what is taught in the Old Testament is confirmed in the New Testament, then we are to obey it. This is what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, and He even added what I would call an “intent of the heart” standard by which we must judge ourselves. For example, we may not literally murder someone, which is a violation of the Sixth Commandment. However, if we harbor hate in our hearts for someone, according to Jesus, we also violate the Sixth Commandment. In other words, what goes on in our mind and heart is just as important to God as what we actually do in deed or action.

I mentioned earlier the word consistent as it relates to our Christian walk. My parents are both in their mid-80s now. As I look back at their lives, what’s most impressive to me is that they have always, always put God first. My two sisters, my brother, and I know that is the main reason we are following the Lord today. Many of you reading this have had parents, friends, or other family members who have modeled consistent Christian living for you.

In 1977, my dad, the Rev. Don Wildmon, heeded a clear call from God to leave the pulpit ministry and begin a ministry that would give Christians an organized voice to fight back against the immorality and godlessness that was growing in our country. And so, here you are reading a column in our magazine in 2023 that goes to roughly 90,000 supporters like you who believe in what American Family Association is doing today to impact the culture for Christ.

What I have also observed in my 60 years of life is that God will take care of those who put Him first in their lives. I’m not saying life will be a bed of roses because that is not what Jesus said. Our human existence will be a mixed bag of good things and bad things. But I’m saying that the Lord will take care of His own on Earth. Those of us who trust Jesus will one day be rewarded with a place in heaven – a real place, the Bible teaches – where no sin exists and where we enjoy happiness, joy, and peace forever.

So how do we put God first in our lives? First, we have to surrender our lives to Jesus. Look up the word surrender; it means to totally give up resistance. Second, we have to draw close to God daily by reading the Bible, praying, and being together with other believers at church and other types of fellowships where we can encourage one another to continue the daily, consistent Christian walk.

Remember, the road to contentment in heart, soul, and mind is to always put God first.