Scripture and a Song – First

SONG: Lauren Daigle’s song First is one that bores its way right into my heart when I hear it.  A prayer of mine over the past year or so is that I would not be double-minded. I want to be a passionate pursuer of the Lord and His truth. I want to put God first in every area of my life. But is it so stinkin’ hard. Husband, kids, job, house, church…all are vying for my attention and affection.  But I must seek Him first in order to give everything else in my life my best effort.  This is especially so as I return to my job as a teacher this week. It is always a time of hectic schedules, great demands and disappearing time.

FIRST

SCRIPTURE: A well-known, oft quoted verse of scripture that relates to this song is Matthew 6:33:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NJKV)

Life is busy.  It is easy to let the busyness infiltrate our lives to the point where we just attempt to fit God in wherever we can. Sometimes He will fit, sometimes not.  Often, we have good intentions and before we know it, we have allowed the things of the Lord to fall by the wayside. This passage from Matthew encourages us to place God first, then allow everything to fall into place around that.  It is more about progressive steps, not perfection.  Five minutes of a devotional in the morning and praying in the car instead of listening to the news – these are little ways to seek Him first. The benefit of peace and blessing you’ll experience in exchange for small steps make it worth the effort.

It is also about seeking God because He is holy and sovereign, not because He can do something for us. I love the line of the song “Before I bring my need, I will bring my heart.” YES! God forgive me for seeking what I want or need instead of bringing my heart to You first. His holiness and goodness deserve my undivided heart before I make any petition. As I am learning, you’ll never “arrive”. It will continue to be a conscious effort to put the things of God ahead of everything else.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me focus on you first.  Help me to prioritize according to Your ways instead of the world’s ways.  Help me to place relationship with You above all else. Help me to find quiet in my busy world.  I ask you to guide me and show me what really matters. Without your help, I can’t do it all. Be my strength today.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

2 thoughts on “Scripture and a Song – First

  1. You are so right in saying it is hard, but I find that when I take those quiet moments before the day starts to listen and seek God, I’m in a better emotional and mental state. I find myself expecting him to show up in the everyday little things of my life.

    1. ABSOLUTELY – I started when my son was an infant with daily devotionals in the morning. It has transformed my life. I find that I am prayed up and ready for the day and often, the verses I read in the morning apply to situations during the day or the week.

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