First Things First

The expression, “first things first”, makes a lot of sense to me. Perhaps, it’s the expression’s intrinsic truth that accounts for its widespread usage and enduring quality. For if we don’t do or consider first things first, every succeeding thing becomes harder, if they can be accomplished at all.

Jeremiah 2:2 says, “Thus says the LORD, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.” Of first importance is loving God. We must begin everything, and life itself, by loving God. Then we can and will follow Him and do good works. Many people try to do good works before loving God and find that these efforts fail or are not effective. In addition, we cannot earn God’s favor without loving Him first, and foremost. Let’s love God with earnest devotion.

Everywhere

Have you ever had the experience of seeing the same person seemingly everywhere you go? You go to the store and turn around and they are there. You go for a walk and turn the corner only to see the same person again. Other than a stalker, the odds are slim that you would find the same person in many places.

Revelation 1:8 says, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'” God has always existed and always will exist. He never changes, because He is holy perfection. He truly is everywhere and always has been. We can never go beyond His reach and knowledge. Trust Him completely.

What God Would Do For Us

I have often found myself at some event or watching something, only to miss something important that happened. My eyes or attention was on something else and I just failed to see some important detail.

Matthew 9:28-30 says, “When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it done to you.’ And their eyes were opened.” Sometimes our eyes are not open to see the miracles God would perform because we do not believe that He can do, or wants to do, these miracles on our behalf. He loves you! Believe and have your eyes opened to see the miracles that Jesus wants to do for you.

What Is Bothering You?

Perhaps you have been asked a time or two, “what is bothering you?” Maybe it was your sad facial expression that clued the inquisitor into your problem. Or perhaps a sudden burst of anger caused someone to ask you this question. Sometimes we can hide our problems from others, but other times the problems become obvious. It is what we can do about the problems that is not so obvious and is causing our faces to display our needs.

Psalm 55:22 says, “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” What’s bothering you? Give it to the Lord and He promises to take care of you. Giving our problems to the Lord sounds like an easy thing to do, but many times we try to trust Him with our problems, but still hold onto parts of the problem, or think we know best how to handle it. The truth is that God knows best how to handle our struggles and is fully capable of giving the best possible solution. He is the One who can keep us from slipping and falling into a deeper abyss caused by the problem and our feeble efforts to solve our problems. Let’s truly let God take care of us as He promised.

Born Of A Certain Kind

Spring is in the air and the evidence is everywhere. When we travel around our area these days, we see all kinds of signs of new life. In one short trip yesterday, we saw baby horses, cows, geese, sheep, goats, and ducks. One thing we noticed is the family resemblance in each of these young animals. The horses looked just like the horses that gave them birth. The cows looked just like the cows from which they came, and so on. Science confirms that we inherit many of the characteristics of our parents.

I John 4:7-8 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The distinguishing mark of a true believer is the love that they show toward others. Love flows from God’s being through the believer to bless others. When we are born of God, we inherit His attribute of love, but only because He enables us to love through the indwelling of His Spirit. His love will flow through us as we walk closely with Him, just like an admiring small child walking hand in hand with a parent and mimicking what the parent does.