God First

What is the most important thing in your life?

You might say your family (a particular member, depending on your situation), your faith, your job, your house, or other material item. Regardless of what your answer is, you have a "most important thing in your life." It will come out sooner or later, and could possibly be evident to others. It may also change, due to life's circumstances.

The most important thing in your life is also something you put a lot of stock into. You also may or may not realize that you place some sort of security into it, too. As Jesus continues His teaching in Matthew 6:25-34 He points out that when we become anxious, to the point of consuming our thoughts, we are squeezing out God in our life. We start to place more emphasis in our abilities to try to handle our anxieties and less emphasis in Him. We stop giving our anxieties to Him, which we are told to do so (Philippians 4:6-7), in these situations.

The following are some applications to choose from to use this week in relation to being anxious (or worrying)...

• Compare and Contrast ~ This may be difficult for some, depending on your spiritual beliefs. Challenge yourself to compare the effects of putting your trust in something earthly or something heavenly. Earthly things fade away and are perishable. Heavenly things are forever and imperishable. The hard part is to trust something intangible - but the rewards are worth it!
• Look Around ~ Seeing things that appear better usually stops with the word "appear." They really are not better, they just "appear" better. Take a long look at the things you are putting your faith in or what your "most important" thing is, and see if it is something that gives you the assurance you are looking for.
• Let the Past Be Just That ~ The more of the past you can leave in the past, the less mind-baggage you are bringing into the future. See what you need to let go (even if it is only by God's help you can leave it in the past.)

Our challenge is to not place a lot of trust in the things of life, but rather in to the one who takes care of the birds and lilies. That challenge is an ongoing one for me...how about you?