Putting God First. Daily Devotional - January 4, 2010

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 7-8, Psalm 9-10, Matthew 6

We were on a family vacation to Disneyland a few years ago and I woke up in the morning to get ready for the day. I remember looking at my Bible sitting on the table and thinking I needed to spend time with God in reading and prayer. "After my shower," I thought to myself. After I got out of the shower, I put it off again until my hair was dry and then again until I made sure all the details of our trip were in order. After that our daughter woke up, my in-laws called and they were ready to head off to Disneyland and start the fun filled festivities. As I head out the door, I glanced back at my Bible feeling a sting of conviction that I had put God on the shelf for the day.

I realized in that moment what it meant to put God first. I have understood that in terms of finances for years. I give my tithe before I pay my bills or before other expenses come up - I give the first portion to declare I have put God first! That day I realized that there will be a million things that will demand my time throughout the day, but I have the opportunity every morning to put him first. To make sure that above all else I built my relationship with God. Before I take my shower, before someone calls me, before I answer my e-mails...I have the opportunity to put God first. Even if there is no time left over before I leave, I will still have put God first and given him the best.

In Matthew 6, Jesus starts speaking about money, then worry then seeking God first. It is interesting that he spoke about these things in this order. He ends with verse 33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." The enemy would love to plague us first thing in the morning with some sort of worry about money or worry about the future. His plan is to get us so consumed with those things that we toil in our own strength to "fix" it before we bring those things to the Lord. Before you know it, we have spent the whole day toiling and worrying and no time with God! We never gave God the opportunity to "add anything to us" because we didn't seek him and his kingdom first!

God reminds those to lay those cares at his feet, to seek Him first and He will take care of the rest. We can worry or we can pray. There are really only two options. The toiling it takes working it out on our own is never worth it, but the grace and testimonies that come when we put God first are what make our walk with him an adventure!

One of my favorite quotes is "You can live with the pain of self-discipline or the pain of self-regret." I would rather live with the pain of self-discipline to put God first than the pain of self-regret. I don’t want there to be any more days when I glance back at my Bible in self-regret as I head out the door.

Thanks for reading,
Mel

Tomorrow’s reading: Genesis 9-10, Psalm 11-13, Matthew 7