February 27                                   Matt 16 - 19

WHO FIRST?

MEMORISE: ‘he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.’ (Matt 10: 37)
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 fulfill his promise, God remained first. But after the promise materialized, Abraham shifted his attention from God to Isaac. That made God jealous. It took a trial of faith for Abraham to realize 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 4am 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 ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you’ (Matt 6:33).

If instead of making God your 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 fulfillment. It is only God that satisfies. Why not put him first today and see if all the other things will not fall into place?

ACTION POINT
Consider whether it is fair to leave the Giver and focus on the gift?
Put God first in your life.