The other day, I had something on my mind as I approached a time with God. I had planned ahead that there was something I was going to find out and something that I was going to do. That was one of my goals for that time. But I immediately realized that my priority was wrong. The entire purpose of that gathering time was to hear from God's word and to listen for direction. I quickly changed my focus and asked God to show me something from His word. I was not there to do anything else but to hear from God and to respond in obedience, praying that my life would glorify Him. There are definitely other times for other things, but during this time, as in other times in life, God had to be first. God has to be first. I don't know how many times I can say it, but that's pretty much the gist of the lesson today. God has to be first.
Matthew 6:22-33
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
We cannot have two masters. We cannot serve God and have other things that so occupy our thoughts that we have them set up on a pedestal higher than God. We must put God first. He must be first and foremost—our most (and only) important concern! I think that one reason we don't see revival in the church is because we care about so many other things more than we care about being right before God! Tell somebody that a friend said something mean about them and they get very upset and either work hard to make amends or begin to plot revenge. Tell somebody that their favorite sports team lost miserably and they get upset and try to figure out how the team can improve or what they need to do to still win the championship. Tell somebody that there is a sale at their favorite store and they run off to check it out before you finish the sentence. Tell somebody that they lost a loved one and they grieve. Tell somebody that they lost money, a job, or a valued possession and it seems like the worst news ever. Tell somebody that their spiritual apathy is leading to death and that God is calling them back to His heart because He loves them and they shrug their shoulders and move on to other things—and that's if you even get a response!!! What is wrong with this picture? We care about so many things and our hearts are so full of passion at times. But do we even care about God? Sometimes we're lucky if He's even on the first page of our list. God has to be first!
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