First Things FIRST

Everyone has a list of priorities in their lives, whether they know it or not. Take a minute to sit down and make a list of how you spend your day; write out everything you do from the time your feet hit the floor until the time your head hits the pillow. Show me how you spend your time, and I will show you your priorities.

You may SAY with your mouth that God comes first in your life, but what are your actions really saying? I understand that we all lead busy lives that are full of responsibilities, but if you’re really honest with yourself, you’ll see that you MAKE time for what is important to you. I like to read fiction books, like the Left Behind series, and one day my husband was telling me that he would like to read those books too but he just didn’t have the time. I pointed out to him that it wasn’t that he didn’t have the time but rather that he chose not to spend his time that way. He has other relaxing activities that he enjoys more than reading those books and so he chooses to spend his free time doing those things instead.

In the same way that the world will try to lead you to live by its priorities, God wants you to live by His. The list should look like this:
God
Yourself
Your Spouse
Your Family/Children
Your Job
Your Ministry
I know not everyone agrees with this list, but if you think about it, it makes sense. God FIRST – no questions on that one. Yourself second: if you’re not taken care of, how can you take care of anyone else? You cannot give out what you don’t have. Your spouse third and your family/children fourth: some people think these two are one, but they are not. If your marriage is not living and growing and well, how can your household live or grow or be well? Your job fifth and your ministry sixth: here we see that obviously your job and ministry do not come before your family. Yes, you do need to provide for your family and yes, God has called you to be a minister in some form, but all of that is for not if you and your house are in shambles.

Again, God is FIRST. I’m so thankful that my husband loves God more than he loves me. Now I will admit that I had some maturing to do because at first I was jealous of God – how crazy does that sound – because my husband spends so much time with Him. But now I’m grateful for that because I know that is, and should be, his first priority.

If you’re not spending daily time with God alone – just you and God – your life is not in order. How can you expect your relationship with Him to grow if you never spend time with Him? If you’re not, start TODAY even if it’s just five minutes. I’ve learned 1.) that I cannot compare my relationship with God to ANYONE else’s and 2.) that I’m growing at my pace. Start with five minutes today, and maybe by next week you’ll be up to ten. The two hardest things to do in life are to start and to finish!

We know from reading Proverbs 31 that this woman does it all, but it’s interesting to note that the only thing she is to be praised for is that she “reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord” (Proverbs 31:30). The footnote in my Bible says “When the summary of what makes her value ‘far above rubies’ is given (in Proverbs 31:30), it is her spiritual life only that is mentioned.” Just as you have a million things to do today also, the only thing that will last forever is the time that you spend seeking the Lord! Put Him FIRST today and be amazed at how productive your day will be. I hear people say that they can’t spare the time to spend with God in the morning, but just try it one day and watch how much more smoothly your day goes…I guarantee it!