READ: LUKE
14:25-27
Our
children have devised an acronym for the word JOY as follows: Jesus first,
yourself last and others in-between. As popular as this may sound, not many
Christian adults have put God where he belongs. Who comes first in your life?
For some Christians, God comes first except in matters that involve their
husbands, wives or children. For a long time Abraham and God were close
friends. All the years he waited for God to fulfil his promise, God remained
first. But after the promise materialised, Abraham shifted his attention from
God to Isaac. That made God jealous. It took a trial of faith for Abraham to
realise the shift and put things right again.
For many, material things have taken the place of God in their lives. All your time is spent on your job. The job you engaged has disengaged you from serving the Lord. In fact for others that job they prayed and fasted for is now their ‘genuine excuse’ to be absent from church services. People today are ready to pay any sacrifice to maintain their jobs. Some leave their houses as early as 4 am or 4:30 am so they are not late for work. But when it comes to keeping an appointment with the King of kings, they expect him to wait at least an hour before they get there.
If you put anyone or anything else first, you cannot enjoy the kind of relationship God desires to have with you. Also, if your first consideration is what your spouse will say or feel about a particular action, and how God will feel about the same thing is not paramount, then you cannot truly be Christ’s disciple. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33).
If instead of making God you desire, you put material things first – job, wealth, wife, husband, car, house – then God will step aside. Yet, you will not be able to enjoy peace or true fulfilment. It is only God that satisfies. Why not put him first today and see if all the other things will not fall into place?
For many, material things have taken the place of God in their lives. All your time is spent on your job. The job you engaged has disengaged you from serving the Lord. In fact for others that job they prayed and fasted for is now their ‘genuine excuse’ to be absent from church services. People today are ready to pay any sacrifice to maintain their jobs. Some leave their houses as early as 4 am or 4:30 am so they are not late for work. But when it comes to keeping an appointment with the King of kings, they expect him to wait at least an hour before they get there.
If you put anyone or anything else first, you cannot enjoy the kind of relationship God desires to have with you. Also, if your first consideration is what your spouse will say or feel about a particular action, and how God will feel about the same thing is not paramount, then you cannot truly be Christ’s disciple. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33).
If instead of making God you desire, you put material things first – job, wealth, wife, husband, car, house – then God will step aside. Yet, you will not be able to enjoy peace or true fulfilment. It is only God that satisfies. Why not put him first today and see if all the other things will not fall into place?
MEMORIZE:
MATTHEW 10:37 –He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.
And who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
