God First!

"God first" has become the popular quote used by people on their Instagram profiles. It is so loosely used that people don't even really realize what it is to actually put God first. We are all in some way guilty or have been guilty of saying "God first" but our actions reflecting otherwise. We have let that job, school, boyfriend, girlfriend, TV show or hobby take the place of God in our lives. We don't spend time in the word or in prayer or we don't want to attend church/fellowship because we believe all these activities are just going to take up our time and we're very "busy" people so we don't have time to "waste". But the truth is that we create time for the things we value no matter how busy we are and that is why we're still able to watch our favorite TV shows or hang out with those special people in our lives even after a hectic day at school or at work. Same thing goes for God, if we really do value him/love him like we always claim to do, we should be able to carve out time to spend with Him on a daily basis. Besides, we don't even own time and can't even control it; at times we forget that the time we call our time actually belongs to God. So isn't it ironic how we can be so stingy in sharing this time with the one who gave it to us?

Now, how can we really put God first in our lives? I learned from one of Rick Warren's devotionals, five major areas in which we must put God first and they pretty much sum up the major areas of our lives. They are our: Finances, Interests, Relationships, Schedule, and Troubles (FIRST). Let's take a deeper look at them.

Finances: "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce" (Proverbs 3:9). This has to do with tithing and offering. Tithing is giving a tenth of our income to God. An offering is whatever is freely given to the work of God, it does not only include money, it could be our praise, our bodies, etc. However, in the context of finances, it means money. Our giving to God should not be dependent on our financial situation. So even when we have little in our pockets, we should still give to God because giving is not only a commandment but also an act of worship. We've heard the popular saying "givers never lack" and it's true because when we give, we would receive and our return would be a "good measure, pressed-down, shaken together creating room for more, and running over" (Luke 6:38).

Interests: Our hobbies, gifts, and talents fall into this category. We must use whatever it is we enjoy doing to honor God because we were created to bring Him glory (Isaiah 43:7). 

Relationships: Putting God first in our families, friendships, and marriages is the key to success. Remember the story Jesus told about the two men who built houses (Matthew 7:24-27). One built his house on sand while the other built his on a rock and when the storms came, guess whose house came tumbling down? the one who built his house on sand. Similarly, any relationship not built on God can't stand.

Schedule: We must let God be number one in our school work or at our jobs. Yes, we may have several deadlines coming up and it may seem like the whole world is coming down on us however, this is still not a reason to not spend time with God. In fact, this is when we need God more. Something that stuck to me from one of Joyce Meyer's messages is this:"frustration is a sign of walking in the flesh". So basically, when we try to figure out our tight schedules on our own, we get stressed and frustrated and it means we're not letting God lead us. Instead, when we get up each morning we should pray and ask God for direction."Commit everything you do to the Lord.Trust him, and he will help you" (Psalm 37:5-6). We should also make the habit of spending time in the word because that is the major way through which God speaks to us.

Troubles: Before you go to the phone, go to the throne! When we're faced with hard times, the first thing we want to do is call a friend or family member to rant. However, we must realize that all of our help comes from God alone (Psalm 121). Sometimes when we go around telling people about our problems, we end up feeling worse because they just don't understand. So this is why we must first cast all our cares and worries on Jesus and then he would direct us to the right people to talk to/help us.

See guys, God knows everything we need. He sees our need to make a living and fulfill our dreams and goals but we must not let these things distract us or take God's place in our lives. The foundation of success in life is seeking God's kingdom first and living righteously (Matthew 6:33). Remember that God is a rewarder of those who diligently/actively/persistently seek him (Hebrews 11:6) so when we put Him first, He would bless the works of our hands and make us prosper.

Stay Blessed!