“Set your heart first on His Kingdom and His goodness…” (Matthew 6:33a – Phillips)
In yesterday’s Post we looked at what it means to “Seek” God’s Kingdom, by earnestly and consistently PURSUING God through thorough and persistent study and investigation. Desiring Him above all else, in a similar way as you would desire someone with whom you were interested in having a long-term relationship.
Today we’re going to look at what it means to seek God’s Kingdom FIRST, by making our relationship with Jesus our top PRIORITY. According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, priority means “taking precedence logically or in importance.” How might our life look if we allowed our relationship with Jesus to take “precedence logically or in importance?”
Someone rightly observed that they could tell in a moment the priority Jesus took in a person’s life by looking at their calendar and their checkbook. What does that mean? It simply means, how you spend your time, and your money reflects what you value the most.
There are 96 15-minute segments in each day. If you gave the Lord only 1 of those, or 15 minutes per day, that would be the equivalent of just over 1% of your day. Yet, how many professing believers commit even a measly 15 minutes a day to read/study the Bible and pray? What’s my point? If Jesus is the priority we desire Him to be, why doesn’t He hold a more prominent place in the activities of our day?
We’re living in the most wicked and perverse period of time in human existence. We need Jesus every second of every day. May I challenge you to make Jesus a higher priority in your time by making Him a higher priority in your thoughts?
As a new believer I would put Bible verses I wanted to memorize on a 3 X 5 card. On one side I would write the verse, then put the reference on the other side. At any one time I would have about 10-12 cards that I would carry with me. Like many who are reading this, I worked two jobs for many years and time was of the essence. So, when I went to the restroom (I know 😊) I would either read my Bible and/or go over my memory cards. On breaks at work or at a stop light, whenever I could grab an extra minute, I sought to fill my mind with words about God.
Someone said, “What you think about, comes about.” I believe if I can fill my mind with what is true and relevant to my life as a believer; what can help to mold my thoughts so the Holy Spirit can train me to think about Jesus and His Word, over time I/we can actually begin to think like Him, which will, in ever increasing measure, allow us to begin to “look” like Him in and through the way we live.
God is ever-present. He’s with us in every second. The issue in making Him a priority then becomes, are we with Him? “Yeh, but I have to work!” “I have small kids!” “I don’t like to read!” Listen, my friend, excuses are like armpits. We’ve all got ‘em, and they all stink!
Commit today to give minimally 15-30 minutes a day to read/study your Bible. Begin to train your mind to think God’s thoughts by committing minimally 1-2 verses a week to memory. Make Church attendance a MUST and if at all possible, find a Small Group – a Men’s/Women’s Group if you’re single, a Couple’s Group if you’re married. You simply cannot make Jesus a priority in your heart if He’s not a priority in your thoughts and on your calendar.
I’ll speak more to this point tomorrow.
Blessings, Ed😊
Walking With Jesus 