Who’s First?
There are times in our lives when it seems we cannot go on. Everything we do seems to go wrong, and it wears us down. The body grows older, and the pains come. The back hurts, the eyes don’t see as well as they once did, and the ears seem to be stopped up (or people are not talking loud enough to be heard.) The hands are not as strong or steady as they once were, and opening even a bottle is a battle.
Then there is the financial side of things. There seems to be more going out than is coming in. When times were good, the money was always there. With run-away inflation, it does not go as far as it once did. All of this is kind of depressing, isn’t it?
I was reading in the Psalms, and this verse jumped out at me. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19 (NASB) When we seem to be loaded down with many burdens, we need to turn them all over to the Lord. Did you notice how often the Lord bears them? Daily! He is always ready to help us. This does not mean that all pain will be taken away, all money problems solved, but He will provide a way for those who look to Him for the answer.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.” We are to put our trust in the Lord. We are not to lean on our own understanding. We must acknowledge Him in all our ways and not think we can do it alone. And we must fear God and turn from our evil ways. As we do these things, the Lord will help us bear our burdens and make a way for us.
The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Paul encourages us to keep on going, even in the midst of all of our daily struggles. All of the things that we have talked about in this short article puts God at the very center of all that we are doing. There is no way that we can live like the devil and then expect God to bless us. There must be an effort on our part.
Jesus Himself said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” First we must seek God and His righteousness, then we will have the help that we need from God to face the struggles we go through in this life.
The question is, are you putting God first or as an afterthought? Think about it!