TAKING YOUR TO-DO LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body,
what you will wear. Is not life more important than
food, and the body more important than clothes?”
(Matthew 6:25)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought to yourself,
   “They just don’t make clothes with
      the same quality they used to make them.”
Or maybe you thought,
    “I must be washing my clothes with the
      wrong setting because they seem to be shrinking”
Or,
    “My clothes must love me,
      because they are hugging me so tightly”

Then you experience a dose of reality as you discover
the clothes are not shrinking at all…you are growing.
Suddenly the clothes that used to feel comfortable are
now too tight. You discover that there is some kind of
scientific phenomenon involved – the increase in size
around your middle, has caused your pants to rise
above your ankles.

A friend of mine decided to take drastic measures and made
a commitment to get back on track with her eating habits
– choosing vegetables instead of bread, and fruit instead of
snacks. Even though she knew this was the right approach,
she found that it was consuming her thoughts. She felt that
she was majoring in the minors of real life.

The Bible clearly explains that we should put first things first;
that we should seek God BEFORE anything else. However, if
we could check the to-do list of everyone, we would probably
find that God is somewhere further down the list than in the
number one spot (where He belongs).

We can learn a lot from looking back, can’t we? Over the years,
God has proven to us that when we put Him in His rightful place
(first), all other things just seem to fall into place. So, the question
we may ask ourselves is,
    “Why is it so hard to do put Him first on a daily basis?”

1 Chronicles 16:11 tells us,
    “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.”
But what do we do instead of ‘looking to the Lord’, relying
on ‘His strength’ and ‘seeking His face’? Too often we look
to ourselves and our own strength, don’t we? And when all
else fails, we FINALLY seek the Lord.

Too often, we seek our own will or pleasure before we seek God’s
will. Sometimes we are more interested in getting what we want
and we overlook asking God what He wants. Our life is often
under the control of our own logic and strength. We make our
decisions based on what seems right to us, and we exclude God.

Matthew 6:33 gives us the guidance we need,
    “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
      and all these things will be given to you as well.”
However we tend to live our lives in a manner that is
opposite from these valuable instructions. Seeking His
kingdom and His righteousness is not number one on
our to-do list (where it belongs).

Back to my friend:
Whenever she begins the day ‘seeking Him’, she said that
her appetite stays in check. When she truly focuses on her
relationship with God, her eating is right where it needs to
be. Even though it is still a part of her day, it is no longer
the main focus of her day.

God’s ways are not just suggestions for us to try; they are
instructions to benefit us, but in order for them to work
for our benefit, we need to be willing to follow (obey) them.

ACTION:
What does your to-do list look like? Are the right things
in the right places? How do you begin your day? What
thoughts do you have when you arise from a night’s sleep?
Are you consumed with all the things you need to get done,
or do you pause and seek the Lord and His righteousness
first? How? By starting the day with a conversation (prayer)
with God.

If we are not following His advice, then how can we expect to
have a good day? God is clearly on our side and His desire is
for us to have a good day and enjoy our relationship with Him.
He is there to clear up any confusions we might have, and to
give us the strength we need for each day. He is our best and
truest friend, who deserves His rightful place as we begin each
day.

For me personally, I look forward to the content and scriptures
He provides each day for me to share with others (and I get to
see them first!). Sometimes I get feedback from others that the
devotional for that day was exactly what they needed. It confirms
to me that God is speaking to others through ‘His’ devotionals in
ways I may never know about. It is also a reminder to me that He
deserves all the credit for what He provides, and that I could not
create the devotionals if I depend on my own strength and intellect.

I have to rely on Him to provide me with what I need, and as a
result, I get to enjoy experiencing His guidance. To be honest,
there have been times when I would go to sleep with what I felt
would be the theme, etc. for the next day’s devotional, However,
when I would awaken the next morning, He would steer me in a
new direction. That assures me that He is in control of them, and
I am not.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for being enough for me.
Teach me to seek Your face before all other things in
my life. Forgive me for the times I put my will and my
desires ahead of Your will for my life. Help me to realize
that whenever my priorities are aligned with what You
want, my days will be much better. I pray that I will realize
the value of my relationship with You and that I will follow
Your instructions for living a better life. Help me to focus
on my fellowship with You above all else.”

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