God First!
God asks us to give Him the highest and first place in our lives (Matthew 6:33, Exodus 20:3, Matthew 22:37-38). “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33 But, how exactly do you practice that? I myself believe that as long as you are receptive and humble to His will in your life, and you learn to crucify your own flesh, you don’t really have to do much more. God does it for you in you. I personally don’t believe that it is a complicated formula or checklist that you have to work through. I think it is more about letting God lead, and letting go of, trusting on yourself. Admit when He points something out to you, and daring to look critically at yourself, your actions and walks with Him. Being honest with God and giving Him the space to let Him do His thing in you, that requires trust and letting go. “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” – Matthew 22:37-38 However, there are a number of things that I have learned from God in the past years that have helped me change into the person I am today. Am I there yet? Nope. Do I have all the wisdom? Another big Nope. But practice makes perfect, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). When I look back at how I was a few years ago and how I was in life, I see a huge difference, praise the Lord! So besides letting go and trusting God and giving Him space, there were still a number of practical points for me that definitely helped and that is why I would like to share them with you. I pray that it will bless you too. Getting practical Putting God first, what does that mean, and how can you put it into practice? The first thing that has helped me a lot to make putting God first practical is to start the day early, and early for me is: five o’clock. I can then start the day with Him in peace and lay everything at His feet. In this way, I give Him the first and best of the day. It is a wonderful start to the day and I recommend it to everyone, that does not mean that it should be at five o’clock for everyone, you do not have to do anything, because everything is grace, but starting the day with God is what allows you to put Him first right away. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”- Mark 1:35 Finding a time that is feasible and practical for you is of course different for everyone. Jesus himself also started the day with the Father (Mark 1:35) and because Jesus is our example and our Guide, this is also something we can learn from Him. For me, it did cost some “blood, sweat and tears” to “get the hang of it”. I snoozed a lot those first months and put my phone (which I have my alarm on) further and further out of reach in the hope that that would help me not turn it off in my comatose state..LOL. But nothing helped. Demonstratively and in a sleepwalking state, I turned it off every morning and then walked back to my bed and continued sleeping. To the point of annoyance…very frustrating. But I kept on going, morning after morning, for months and months. Eventually it paid off and things went well more and more often. Persistence pays off, so to speak 😊, Praise the Lord. You just start your day differently when you start it with God. Pray without ceasing “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Bible also teaches us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I am now succeeding more and more in this, and it is becoming more and more of a habit to be in conversation with Him throughout the day, but of course it did not start out that way. Previously, I prayed very consciously at certain moments, I then separated myself to speak with God and after my prayer there was actually no contact between me and Him, until the next moment that I separated myself again. Although there is of course nothing wrong with this, God actually desires more for a continuous “open line” between Him and us and that He may be involved in everything in our lives. I must say that I personally did not have to make much effort for that, it has grown over the years so that I now involve Him in almost everything. At school (Charis Bible College) I learned that a relationship with God works the same as a relationship with your spouse. One day you talk to each other a lot and the next day, perhaps because of work or other matters, a little less. On days off you can spend hours with each other, or take the time for a good conversation, than on workdays. And this does not have to be a problem for your relationship. It can also be that relaxed in your relationship with God. One day you can talk to Him for hours and hours, and on other days that is sometimes a little less. We do not have to make it difficult or complicated about that, that is simply the relationship that you may have with Him, in all relaxation, not from work but from love and relationship. But involving Him in everything is, besides a wish from His