Tag: Making God the priority

Seek First the Kingdom of God

~ servantone1 ~ Leave a comment

JESUS SPEAKING

“Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or “What shall we drink?’ or “What shall we wear?’ For after all of these things the Gentiles (non-believers) seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6: 31 – 33)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

The fear of not possessing the basic necessities of life creates anxiety in the heart; which entices nonbelievers to prioritize the hunt for resources ahead of everything else. In contrast, Jesus urges His followers to abandon this frantic pursuit, and instead, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” In other words, Christians must prioritize their relationship with God and focus on serving others in the ministry to which they have been called. In turn, God will provide for all of their worldly needs.

As the story goes, in 1865 a preacher named Hudson Taylor came to a great crisis in his life. In a town on the south coast of England he took a leap of faith in response to a single spiritual principle he’d recently discovered. He was surprised that this truth had eluded him for so long. He thought, “If we are obeying the Lord, the responsibility rests with Him, not with us.” In an instant his anxiety and uncertainty faded and the way ahead suddenly became clear. To obey the scriptures and trust that God will be faithful to His promised Word was not rash. Stepping out in faith, he founded the China Inland Mission; an organization which brought the gospel to tens of thousands of Chinese men and women inhabiting the inland areas of China. Because he’d made accomplishing God’s will his priority, all of his other earthly needs were met (as were the needs of the missionary organization.)

Like Mr. Taylor, everyone today has a choice to make. We can deny God and embrace the fear of want; which leads to self-seeking and the desperate search for necessary things. Or we can embrace God and trust Him completely; making the accomplishment of His will our top priority. The first choice is fraught with fear and anxiety. The second however, produces peace and results in divine provision. May we all choose what is right and follow Christ.

“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before you with humble hearts. We understand that apart from You we can do nothing. May we abandon our fears and place our trust in Your capable hands. As we minister to others, may we experience Your peace, Your prosperity, and Your provision. Only You are worthy of all honor and praise. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!

Making God the Priority

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

     Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore, tell her to help me.”  And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10: 38 – 42.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

     After eagerly welcoming Jesus into her home for the evening, Martha began feverishly serving her new guests.  In traditional Jewish culture, the women were responsible for preparing the meals.  As a result, Martha became upset when she observed Mary sitting at Christ’s feet, intently listening to His every word.  She attempted to correct her sister, but the Lord corrected her instead.  Unlike Mary, Martha had failed to put God first; ahead of all of her other duties.

     In the 1500’s, a German Monk named Martin Luther sparked the protestant reformation (a movement that sought to restore the church to biblical truths, rather than man-made religious traditions.)  As the leader of this movement, he was an extraordinarily busy man.  However, despite his remarkable number of responsibilities, he would arise early every morning to spend time in prayer; conceding that on his busiest days he needed God even more.  He once said, “I have so much to do today that I’m going to need to spend three hours in prayer in order to be able to get it all done.”

     Like Martin Luther, we must make God our number one priority.  The amount of distractions in this life are seemingly endless. The busier we are, the less time we have to complete our daily tasks.  On our busiest days we can behave like Martha and make less time for God and more time for our chores.  Or we can choose to act like Mary and make God our top priority.  By reading scripture, praying, and seeking God’s will in the morning and throughout the day, we are making the right decision.  If God is our priority, everything else will fall into its proper place. And the peace of the Lord will remain in us, as He accomplishes His work through us.

     “Lord Heavenly Father, help us to make You the most important thing in our lives.  May life’s busiest moments never distract us from focusing on Your goodness.  Teach us and love us; pour Your Spirit out into our hearts, that we might be used to effectively accomplish Your will in this place.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you!

Make God the priority

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

            Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me.”  And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10: 38 – 42.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            After eagerly welcoming Jesus in to her home for the evening, Martha began feverishly serving her new guests.  In Jewish culture, the women were traditionally responsible for meal preparation.  Martha therefore became angry when she saw Mary sitting at Christ’s feet, intently listening to His every word.  She attempted to correct her sister, and was in turn corrected by the Lord.  Martha (unlike Mary) had failed to place God first, ahead of all of her other duties.

            In the 1500’s a German Monk named Martin Luther sparked the protestant reformation (a movement that sought to restore the church to biblical truths, as opposed to church traditions.)  As the leader of this movement, he was an extraordinarily busy man.  Despite his many responsibilities, he would arise every morning to spend time in prayer; conceding that on his busiest days he needed God even more. He once said, “I have so much to do today that I’m going to need to spend three hours in prayer in order to be able to get it all done.”

            Like Martin Luther, we must make God our number one priority.  The amount of distractions in this life are seemingly infinite. The busier we are, the less time we have to complete our daily tasks.  On our busiest days we can act like Martha and make less time for God and more time for our chores.  Or, we can choose to behave like Mary and make God our top priority.  By reading scripture, praying, and seeking God’s will first thing in the morning we are making the right choice.  When we make God the priority, everything else falls in to its proper place. Therefore the peace of the Lord will remain in us, as He accomplishes His work through us.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, help us to make You the most important thing in our lives.  May life’s busiest moments never distract us from focusing on Your goodness.  Teach us and love us; pour Your Spirit out in to our hearts, that we might be used to effectively accomplish Your will in this place.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.