Putting God First

Tell me if any of the following scenarios sound familiar:

1. You really want to lose ten pounds before (fill in the blank)'s wedding/your 25th class reunion/the start of swimsuit season. Consequently, the only thing you can think about is how good that last piece of cherry pie would taste with a scoop of ice cream on the side. And at last, you know: Yep, it's that good.

2. The house is a wreck and you declare today a day of "Spring Cleaning." You're going to scrub the baseboards, wash the curtains, clean the windows, get rid of the cobwebs and dust bunnies hiding in every corner. You are on a mission! Three hours later you lay aside all those back issues of Reader's Digest and Better Homes and Gardens that you haven't had time to read, the ones you came across when you started to dust the magazine rack.

3. You've made a commitment to set aside 45 minutes of "quiet time" early in the morning so that you can read your Bible and pray without the distractions that come during the morning rush hour. You set your alarm for 5:30 a.m. . . . and for 6:00 . . . and 6:30 . . . and finally get up at 7:00, which gives you just enough time to grab a shower and a quick cup of coffee before heading off to work.

Losing weight. Keeping a clean house. Regular Bible study. All noble goals. You can probably think of your own examples. So why can those goals be so hard to reach sometimes?

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Seek first the kingdom of God. Hmmmm. Easy to say, but in our human frailty, all too often we seek to satisfy ourselves first, and we seek God's will as an afterthought. We may have the best of intentions; we make plans, decisions, commitments . . . but oftentimes our plans change, we doubt our decisions, we find our commitment considerably lacking. Why? Ask yourself: Did I put God first in all things? Did I ask Him for help in achieving my goals? Did I seek Him first?

Look at Matthew 6:33 again, paying special attention to the last part: " . . . and all these things will be added to you." The Bible tells us that if we will simply put God first, everything else will come. The self-discipline to stick to your diet, or even a fresh perspective that says, "I am worthy and valuable whether or not I lose those last five pounds." The willpower to tackle some time-consuming tasks when all you really want to do is relax. The dedication to carve out time in your day to pursue an intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Our challenge is to keep our gaze on the Lord and not be distracted by earthly pleasures. Proverbs 4:25 says, "Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you." Likewise, Psalm 123 (one of the Psalms of Ascents that we are studying in the Ladies' Bible class) says, "I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God . . . ." Oh, that we would never falter in our dedication to lift our eyes to our Father, fix our eyes on Him, and seek first His kingdom!

"Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always." 1 Chronicles 16:11