God Should Be No. 1 In Our Lives

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

June 30, 2026

in Spritual Growth

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June 28, 2026

Readings: Isaiah 2:10-17
Romans 6:3-11
Matthew 10:34-42

5th Sunday of Ordinary time 2026 Homily – Abp. Hines

Each week, Christ speaks to us, guides us and gives life to us. If only we would listen to Him, we would realize how much He’s given us. God’s gifts to us are so awesome, yet we have ignored them and not paid attention. We boast in what we can do but the ability comes from God and we should give Him the glory. It tells us in Scripture, “you call me Lord but do not do the things I tell you to do.” We choose to do our own thing instead. We make promises we do not fulfill. The commitment God is to us is like the Pearl of Great Price. He should be no. 1 in our lives- the very essence of who should be. He is not an “add-on.” We are to be like Him. We should be asking God, “what do you want me to be?

Just recently, there was the Tacloban school shooting incident. Who’s really guilty? The parents are. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way that he should go.” But many of us who are parents- have we been training our young in the way that they should go?” We’ve got to realize we have the responsibility to train our children in the things of God. The enemy takes away our responsibility and commitment to God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “I did not come to being peace. I came to bring a sword.” What does this mean? While He did give us peace, we have the responsibility to stand firm against the things that are anti-God. One very stark example is that Sundays, which was mandated to be a day to honor Him, is a day we choose to engage in other activities. Malls and other establishments for recreation are open, and so are other places for amusement because of business opportunities and priorities. Yes, God is merciful and kind, but we’ve got to listen to what He says. He came to set up differences among members of the same household- it means, He is the no. 1 priority. No one else should be above Him. Not our parents, not our children. More often than not, we need to stand up against certain things. The first Gospel in the New Testament indicates that “we should take up our own cross.” Jesus did not defend Himself when offended. While the need for peace is good per se, we need the sword when there is need for correction. Our priority should always be God. Our problems usually begin when we start to compromise. “He who receives a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Jesus further says, “if you deny Me before men, I will deny you before the Father.” It’s a challenge that confronts our very commitment to God. Is anyone correcting the corruption we see happening in our world today? Is anyone standing up for righteousness’ sake? We are to die to self. Die to our own pride. Our own greed. Our own ego.

The world is against God. We think the world is giving us good things, but it is actually taking us away from God. The foundation of the world system is demonic. Can we accept the salvation of One who has given us so much? We need to take up our own cross. What is our cross? We should be willing to surrender our own ideas, our own agenda, our own desires if these do not align with God’s ways. We say we want peace but in order to have true peace, we need to follow Christ. He wants us to wake up to the truth of His Word. Hebrews 6:10 “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

God wants us to walk in His ways. We have to be willing to do what He wants for us, and not what we want for ourselves. We tend to do so many things on our own. The greatest test is our children. We’ve got to train them to love God and even talk to them about the things of God. It seems that we know more of the evil- we see and hear it in the news every day. Instead of absorbing all these things, why aren’t we listening to God? God is at work. We are to walk in His compassion and love. We are to walk in the new life He has given us. And He should always be our no. 1.