“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.” — Colossians 1:15-16

What would your list look like if I asked you to name the most important things in your life? When I ask groups that question, it usually looks like this: Jesus, family, friends, school/work, hobbies/sports. For people who claim to be Christians, Jesus is almost always in the top spot.

But if I asked how you spend most of your time, how far down your list would Jesus be? Think this through with me. I’m not sure He wants to be on our list. We need time with Him for sure, but He is more than our priority, Jesus is our authority.

Colossians 1:16 tells us that “all things were created through Him and for Him.” When we prioritize Jesus into our schedule, we become the master of our list; our list becomes about us. If we shift our thinking from Jesus as a priority to the One who has authority, He becomes the motivation for everything we do.

Where there is a master, there is a servant. Guess which one we are? Jesus does not begin Matthew 28:18 with, “Go therefore…” He begins with, “All authority has been given to Me…” So, as we go about our daily lives, we go submitting to Jesus as our authority, not just our priority.

— Steve Sisco, Baseball Chapel staff

The Increase, part of the Sports Spectrum Network, is a community of Christian pro athletes sharing their personal stories of the decrease of self and the increase of Christ (John 3:30). Visit TheIncrease.com for more stories and videos.