Me First

-
This crew will be heading back to school soon.
I love how they stand at the front of boat looking out and discovering God's creations.

Our sinful souls tend to have a "me first" mentality.  Even the disciples wanted to shoe the little children away and have some down time, but Jesus contradicted that decision and said, "Let the little children come to me."

Luke 19:10 reminds us that Jesus came to serve.  
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

There is a war going on though and the devil is behind the plotting.  He's been at it ever since the fall of man.

"And he said to him, 'All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.' Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.'"
Matthew 4:9-11

The things in life we place before God are called idols.  They can be the simplest things...TV, computer/phone time, exercise, work, socializing, hobbies.  When their importance in our lives usurps our time with the Lord they become idols!

"Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."  Romans 8:8

"You shall have no other gods before me."  Exodus 20:3

"For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 'Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious set itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.'"  Matthew 6:32-34

God created us for his pleasure.

"For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation." Psalm 149:4

There is something very refreshing about an honest conversation with a child.  While discussing praising God with a grandchild recently, the response was well it's okay to just do what you want if you do not feel like praising God.  It may have stemmed from a discussion on love languages and recognizing our God given differences and pursing the purposes He has created us for.  It's easy to accept the "all about me" ideas.  I'm so thankful for the honesty and the ability to address the "God first command".

"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'"  Matthew 22:37

These thoughts remind me of the "I am Third" award given out at Kanakuk Kamps...God first, others second, me third!

J.O.Y.  Jesus  Others You




Popular posts from this blog

She Fought the Good Fight

-
Image
February 27 Bible Gateway's verse yesterday was: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him . 1 John 4:9 A fitting verse for the day my everyday friend, soul sister, monster of the faith and mischievous partner in crime, Kaye, left this world behind and headed to her heavenly home. My husband was able to be by her bedside and said he knew she heard the words of our faith that he shared. Her sweet daughter held the phone up to her ear so I could say good-bye and the brightest single star you have ever seen shown through my bedroom window as she exited this earth! Yesterday, my heart literally ached so badly that I told the Lord, "Take me too!" Wouldn't she have been surprised if I had snuck up on her in heaven and said, "Thought you were going somewhere without me, did ya." When we received the call she was ready to go, I called out to the Lord for comfort and He led me to the Bible Gat
Read more

Marriage Matters #1

-
Image
One of life's deepest hurts is when the one you love is unfaithful. Forty years ago, I remember an older friend, whose wife had been unfaithful and left him for another man saying to me..."Boo, I hope you never experience having the person you love and are married to, living 8 blocks away loving someone else." Deep hurt. They divorced. The wife of another friend of ours was having an affair with a fellow church member and a neighbor of theirs who lived 5 blocks away. She moved in with this man and our friend said one evening he was walking by the house where they were living together and saw them sitting at a table having a candlelight dinner. Ugh. The torment. I've always said it would be aweful to find out the person you were married to and  loved deeply loved another.  Hmm. We are the bride of Christ.  Is He our first love? 2 Peter 2:14 says: They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed
Read more

Are You Sinking... Being Tossed About?

-
Image
  A text came in from our neighbor recently, on a cold blustery day, when I was home with a stomach bug and awful headache. He said, "My canoe blew off our dock and has floated over to your shore."  And I'm thinking..."And you want me to do what?" I explained my husband was at work, but could help in the afternoon. I went to the window and could see the boat being tossed back and forth along our shore line. One minute it was close to our main dock and the next the winds had shifted and it was 200 feet in the opposite direction.  What I then realized is it had been taking on water. A text came again that he was in his car and driving around to our property.  Climbing out of my night shirt, I put on warm ups, UGGS boots and a hooded coat and limped outside to see how I could help. When I arrived to the shore line, the neighbor had tossed a 3 prong hook tied to a rope into the boat and was pulling it to the shore with one hand.  He had recently had hand surgery and
Read more