Picked Last

He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and . . .”

Luke 9:59

In the book Teaching Children Physical Education, George Graham warns against letting school teams “choose up sides.” He rightly says the custom is “excruciatingly painful to children and creates lasting, haunting impressions as adults.” According to Graham, it “should be banned from schools—against the law. It simply hurts too much to stand and wait, only to be picked last or next to last.”^a

If this brings back bad memories of gym class, you know exactly what he’s talking about.

But what happens when we pick God last?

Lord, I will follow You, but first let me get an education, establish my career, raise a family, take a trip, pay off my debt, enjoy myself, go out with my buddies, have a little fun, save up some money.

We can easily find other things to do before we follow God. Jesus Christ isn’t just something we include in the mix of events that make up our lives. He is Someone whom we call Master, Lord, and King. He’s the First, who orders all other events according to His will. We should never say, “Lord, let me first . . .” when it comes to following Him. Instead, our response should be “Lord, You are First!”

As Colossians says, “[Christ] is first in everything” (1:18, NLT).

Oh, yes, I do love Jesus, because he first loved me.

WESLEYAN HYMN BOOK