Put God First
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, help me to give myself fully to you. Help me to withstand the daily distractions of the world that constantly try to pull me away from you.
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37-38 (NIV)
REFLECT:
When I truly began my faith journey a little over a decade ago one of my biggest challenges was the idea of putting God ahead of my spouse and my daughter. I would become angry when discussing hypothetical ideas like whether or not I would move away from my family if God called me to His service somewhere far away. I couldn’t imagine doing what felt like abandoning the people I cared for most and who, I thought, depended on ME. At that point I hadn’t actually accepted Christ into my life so the truth of His complete love still eluded me.
Fortunately, I would continue to study scripture and wrestle with the information I encountered until one day it all became clear: None of any of this was about ME or up to ME. God was in charge of it all and I could trust Him. Most importantly, God sent His son Jesus to live as a man only to suffer the death I deserved to create a way for me to be with God forever and ever. All I had to do was accept His free gift of salvation. Once I fully understood what God and done for me through Jesus, and accepted His gift, the idea that I would put God first before anything else was the only thing that made sense.
What I feel today after accepting Jesus as my lord and savior and putting God first in my life is freedom. I have a role to play in my life and the lives of my family members, don’t get me wrong, but the pressure to control everything is off. God is in charge. I desire to please Him and want to follow Him wherever He leads me. God wants and knows what’s best for me, my family and everyone. Because of this truth I know following Him first is always right.
APPLY:
If you ever feel overwhelmed with responsibility, be it work-related, family-related or something different entirely, look to God first and ask Him for help. We are not equipped to handle life alone. Share your to-do list with God and see what He says about working through it. He loves to help and always knows the best way to do things.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Thank you Jesus for always being available to me, anytime, anyplace. Thank you for being the leader in my life that always knows which way to go.