Are You Keeping First Things First?
Good Morning Friends,
The Bible tells us to seek the Kingdom first. It clearly leads us to believe that if we put God first everything will fall into proper place in our lives. Are You Keeping First Things First?
Scripture: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)
“With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:6-8 (NRSV)
Message: God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life that is wholly yielded to seeking the King and submitting with praise and purpose to a plan that recognizes the dangers of taking shortcuts. Friends, if your life is out of order you will be frustrated. The problem is that we do not put things in proper order. So today we look at what scripture says should be the focus of our actions. Friends, when we do first things first, when we are cooking up a plan and especially when we are seeking justice we need to proclaim with prophetic purpose that the new kingdom of Christ is coming. The on Earth as in Heaven part of our prayers is nothing short of seeking the climax and end of human history by substituting something much better. Here we protest against competing forces that stand against the love of God. Here we refuse to accept as normal that which in our hearts we know to be pervasively abnormal. Here we pray some of the last words of the Bible as our first utterance, “Come Lord Jesus”.
Pray that the power, might and glory that we experience are all expression of the authority of Jesus. Pray that the Lord of the harvest would have dominion, control and rule over all aspects of our heart and mind. Pray that we gain the perspective of the mind of Christ by meditating on scripture. Pray we resist, reject and renounce all rival kingdoms. Pray we get first things first. Pray we think, pray and act in ways that help others to seek first His kingdom. Pray we put God’s interests above our own. Pray our first step toward God is one of humility, kindness and justice. Pray we realize that the direction we are headed is more important than the speed we are going. Pray we schedule our priorities. Pray we seek to understand before we seek to be understood. Pray we keep the main thing the main thing. Pray we have both purpose and priority.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 