https://podcast.preppedforseminary.com/reordering-loves/
When we think about following Christ, it’s easy to believe obedience is just a checklist of rules. But real Christian living is not about checking boxes. It’s about something much deeper — it’s about love, loyalty, and wisdom. It’s about reordering our loves so that God remains at the center of our lives, shaping everything we do.
Why Do We Need to Reorder Our Loves?
Our hearts were made to love. But after the fall, our loves became disordered. Instead of loving the Creator most, we often love created things more. We seek comfort, success, relationships, and even good things, but we seek them in the wrong way or at the wrong time.
The serpent’s temptation in Genesis 3 shows us this. Eve stopped trusting God and began to trust her own judgment instead. She decided what was good for herself without God’s guidance. That choice — to love something else more than God — distorted everything.
We still face the same temptation today. We chase success, relationships, and personal comfort as if they are the ultimate goal. But when we love anything more than God, even good things become harmful.
As Augustine put it, the problem is not that things like gold are evil. It’s that we love them too much, at the expense of greater goods like justice and faithfulness.
What Does Rightly Ordered Love Look Like?
Rightly ordered love begins with loving God first and most.
Deuteronomy 6:5 commands,
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He quoted this very passage. Our entire lives are meant to be lived in loyalty to God first. Every other love — for family, success, or service — must fit inside that larger love.
Think of it like a strong river current. When we immerse ourselves in the love of God, everything else — our work, our relationships, our desires — flows along with it. Or picture a set of Russian nesting dolls: the biggest one is our love for God, and every other love fits inside, shaped by Him.
Rightly ordered love leads to obedience, not out of obligation, but out of joyful loyalty. As Jesus said,
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
Obedience is the natural fruit of a reordered heart.
What Happens When Our Loves Are Disordered?
When our loves are out of order, even good things can harm us.
Augustine warned that when we love any created thing more than God, we become shaped by that lesser love. Just as different types of training shape an athlete’s body differently, chasing anything other than God will shape our souls in ways that leave us less whole, not more whole.
Disordered love leads to idolatry, though not always in ways that look evil on the surface. A love for family, justice, or success can look wholesome. But if it is ultimate for us, it takes God’s place. In time, it pulls us farther away from Him.
We must remember: wholesome is not the goal. Holiness is.
Practical Steps to Reorder Our Loves
1. Self-Examination
Ask yourself: What do I really care about? Where is my treasure? (Matthew 6:21) Am I letting God define what’s good, or am I trusting my own instincts?
2. Confession and Repentance
Confession is not shameful — it is a fundamental part of the Christian way of life. 1 John 1:9 reminds us that confessing our sins demonstrates our loyalty to Christ, even when it comes at a cost to us.
3. Refocusing Attention
Distraction is one of our greatest dangers. Like Martha in Luke 10, we can be busy with good things and still miss the better portion — sitting at Jesus’ feet. Identify what pulls your attention away from God and build habits that refocus it.
4. Practicing Obedience
Start small. Obedience builds on itself. As you obey God in little things, your heart becomes trained to trust Him in bigger things. Each act of obedience deepens your love and loyalty to Him.
The Fruit of Reordering Our Loves
Reordering our loves is hard. It’s a lifelong journey. But it leads to profound blessings:
- Peace: Trusting God brings a stability nothing else can.
- Purpose: Our lives gain clear direction — living in His presence.
- Fulfillment: True joy comes not from chasing temporary pleasures, but from loving God Himself.
As we reorder our loves, we find ourselves becoming more fully human, more fully alive, and more fully aligned with God’s heart.
Reflection Questions
- Where in your life do you notice disordered loves?
- How do you define success, and has that definition been shaped by God or by culture?
- What small step of obedience could you take today to express your loyalty to God?
- What distractions most often pull your attention away from God? How could you refocus?
- How would your daily life look different if your first and greatest love was truly God?