Seek God First

It's official--the holiday season is OVER! Reality has set in--Back to Work, School, etc. This is where the "rubber" of our INTENTIONS meets the "road" of our lives! How will you stay focused and on target?

"Seek first God's kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well." Matthew 6:33

"Seek God first" is the best place to start--everything else will fall into place if you follow that ONE path. Seek God's will for you in EVERY decision, ALL THROUGHOUT THE DAY--NOT just during your morning devotion.

Many of us set aside time for prayer and devotion and then end our communication with God for the day feeling as if we have done enough. We leave God behind when we go out into the world.

Pay attention to your actions each day. Are you behaving in a Godly manner? 

Are you courteous to clerks, waiters, flight attendants, janitors and others who serve you? Are you sharing joy and a peaceful attitude with those who cross your path?

Do you expect things to work out for the best, or are you “on-guard” for someone to try to take advantage of you?

Are you so caught up in where YOU need to be that you refuse to let someone pull out into traffic in front of you?

When you find yourself faced with a choice to spend time with loved ones or pursue another activity--what do you choose? Why? Is that reason in line with God’s will?

Are you ruthless in your business negotiations? Do you take pride in being “firm” and “tough”?

Do you find yourself often impatient and annoyed with family and friends? Do you make yourself available to be there for their needs?

Are you critical and quick to condemn or do you first attempt to understand and forgive?

What are you doing to respect the “temple” of your body? Are you honoring God’s gift to you by making healthy choices?

Do you have a "servant" or "master" mentality in your associations with others?

Would people describe you as “kind” and “thoughtful” or are you so preoccupied with your individual goals and tasks that you don’t take time for the little courtesies of life?

Do you TRUST and OBEY God? Do you TRUST HIS PROCESS, his TIMING, and the way that he allows things in your life to unfold?

It is impossible to follow God's will if your primary focus is on yourself. And we demonstrate where our priorities really are with each little decision we make and each interaction we have with others.

"Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." Matthew 7:20-21

Recently I had an experience that vividly illustrated this point to me. I was running errands and passed a man on the side of the road in a wheelchair with a sign indicated that he had cancer and was losing his home. I had seen him there weeks before; he was very emaciated and truly looked like he was dying. I was moved by his appearance and had even given him $5 that day.

And as I drove past him this time on my way to the gas station, I was struck with an overwhelming urge to give him money again. While pulling my credit card out of my wallet to pump the gas, I reached for a five-dollar bill thinking I would stop on my way back and give him that. But a powerful impulse compelled me to pull out a twenty instead. Those two bills, coupled with a few ones, were all I had in my wallet at the time. I looked up and had a little conversation with God about what to do. The instinct to give twenty instead of five was SO strong, that I yielded to that “voice” and gave him the twenty. 

My next stop was at the pharmacy where I had to pick up some prescriptions as well as various other items. For some reason, I decided to get the prescriptions first and then shop for the other things we needed. When I paid for them the clerk stapled my receipt, along with a coupon, to the bag.

I picked up the other items I needed and went to the front to pay. As I was getting my debit card out of my purse, I sat my prescription bag on the counter. The clerk who was checking me out saw the coupon and suggested that I use it. I hadn’t really paid any attention to it, and thanked her for noticing. Can you guess what happened next? 

The coupon turned out to be for TWENTY DOLLARS!

 I don’t know about you, but I have NEVER before (or since), been given a $20 coupon at a pharmacy, or anywhere else for that matter!

Listening to God’s voice, trusting and obeying had proven to be a blessing to both the man I had helped and also to me. And I received something greater than my $20 back--I learned a valuable lesson about staying connected to God throughout my day and turning to him for each little decision. 

Have I mastered this skill? Not at all, but I’m learning. So as we all transition back into the reality of our daily lives--together, let’s strive to "Seek God first" and try to stay connected with him ALL DAY. Everything else will follow accordingly. From personal experience, I know that it is not always easy and that I have a lot of work to do. But fortunately, it all starts with this one simple step--”Seek God First”.

"The Lord has told you what is good; he has told you what he wants from you: to do what is right to other people, love being kind to others, and live humbly, obeying your God." Micah 6:8

(Thanks to my friend Violet for the inspiration for this article!) 

(Did you notice the photograph? I was outside with my dogs last week and observed these amazing cloud formations. Something made me look up and there it was--a rainbow, right above my head! The only camera I had with me was my phone, but I thought it showcased the sight pretty well! And little did I know that I would need it the following week for this article--isn’t God AWESOME?!?! May you have a FAITH-FILLED day!)

Deborah J. Thompson is a writer, artist and Stephen Minister. Her articles are published by Crosswalk.com and "The Fish" family of Christian radio station websites around the country. She shares "Reflections" on Life and Marriage on her website, www.inspiredreflections.info

. And she is working on her first book, Your Life, Your Choice, which gives 5 simple steps to harness the power of your choices and bring more Love, Joy and Peace into your life. Join her on  Facebook and Twitter/InspireReflect.

Posted via email from inspirereflect's posterous