Thinking About Ways to Put God First

“Smart men walked on the moon, daring men walked on the ocean floor, but wise men walk with God.” Leonard Ravenhill

I was pondering ways to improve my relationship with my Creator and these ideas came to mind. These may be reminders rather than new thoughts, but perhaps you will find them useful.

Invest in lasting things:  Prayer, worship, bible study, discipleship, service for God within and outside the walls of a church building, family devotional time are all good. Spend more time praying for circumstances and releasing God’s blessing in them than complaining about them and getting worked-up over them. Spending more time enriching life in the word and prayer than in hobbies or entertainment is valuable. Matthew 6:19-20

Let God renew our thinking: The world, the flesh and the devil are shouting at us to be independent, self-centered, ‘watch-out-for-#1’ people, where ‘image is everything,’ ‘I deserve the best’, ‘it’s everyone else’s fault if I don’t like where I am’, and ‘by the way don’t bug me with your morality.’ It takes care, effort, and perseverance to allow God to reprogram my thinking. Let Him take us to where we’re a ‘dependent, God centered, watch-out-for-each-other’ person, where ‘image is nothing’, ‘substance-comes-from-within’, ‘but for the grace of God I deserve death and hell’, ‘I’m responsible for my actions and their consequences’ ‘and by the way, help me walk in righteousness and holiness‘. Romans 12:2

Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers: Jesus said “be in the world but not of the world“.  Paul said “I told you to stay away from immoral people who call themselves brothers in Christ.  I did not say stay away from all immoral people, because then you would have to leave the world.”   It’s best to avoid relationships that harness us to the ungodly moral, spiritual and emotional views of another.  Often “unequally yoked” is applied to marriage, and rightly so.  However, close friends, business partners or associates, even our children can influence us to walk in ungodly places. we need to be careful how we choose to relate to others. Seek people who show themselves yoked to Christ for the deepest relationships. 2 Corinthians 6:14

Don’t avoid trials and pain: It’s right and good that we don’t seek out ways to experience pain. However, when we use worldly distractions to help us avoid, cover or ignore pain, we strip God of one of His most potent tools for effecting positive change in us. God allows circumstances into our lives that cause us pain in order to show us where we are weak or wounded and allow us the opportunity to receive healing from his gracious hand. When we’re healed, we will be less apt to take the failings of others personally, and we will be better able to help others see past their own pain. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Think redemptively: God allowed his son to be killed as atonement for us.  Through that sacrifice, all of mankind has the potential to be redeemed. If redemption is that important to God, it behooves us to adopt that view as well.  When we find ourselves looking down on someone for who they are, what they’ve done, or what they haven’t done, we should put on our redemption glasses and look to see how God sees the person or circumstance.  We should seek to be His hands to restore what was lost in the situation.  We shouldn’t focus on how bad the circumstances are, but rather on how they can be redeemed and how we can participate in that. Galatians 4:3-5

Exercise faith, not fear: Perfect love casts out fear. God loves us perfectly. We don’t do as well.  However, we can practice walking in faith, loving others and trusting in a Savior that unconditionally loves us. We can’t avoid fear and anxiety totally as long as we are in this flesh and in this world. But as we learn to put our fears at the foot of the cross one at a time, a little at a time we will grow in love and courage, putting God first. But we must make the choice. 1 John 4:18

Reach out with the love of Jesus: Whether it’s taking the Gospel to places that it is unknown or taking dinner to family in need, focusing our energy on meeting the needs of others helps us forget about ourselves, points our thinking to God, and shines God’s love into the lives of others. We grow, they’re blessed, God is glorified.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  Take time to seek ways to meet the needs of others.  There is never any lack of needs to meet, just ask around… 2 Corin. 9:12-13

Do you have other thoughts about how we can learn to put our Creator first? Make a suggestion.