Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Thursday 12/17/09)

The Number One Paper Chase…

Exodus 20:2-3 (Amplified Bible)

²I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

³You shall have no other gods before or besides Me.

I have a friend that made a vow to God that He (God) would be the priority. This vow was made in a time in their life when circumstances were rough and they really needed God. But since God was gracious and kind to deliver, (God standing by His word), they have not totally stood by their word to God. The number one chase in their life has become about ensuring that they make enough money to obtain things, and that they live comfortably. God being the priority has taken a back seat to work and the great paper chase. I was speaking with yet another friend of mine today, who made mention of the fact that they have the opportunity to work extended hours ( a lot of overtime) but that, they choose not to. They choose to do the time assigned to them, and to have a life outside of work, one that prioritizes and honors God, family and others. It is funny, that we have choices and often when we are in a jam or a tight we make all sorts of promises to God, but when all becomes well with us, we forget about God or we reprioritize and it displaces Him out of His place of Honor and precedence in our lives.

Many times we do not realize that the choices that we make to dethrone God as head of lives; we do so in a manner in which we are carving graven images within different arenas in our lives such as work, friends, hobbies, etc. and making them gods, idols. We place them as kings of our hearts, while the true and living God, the one who is suppose to be Savior and Lord is left like a child in a bakery window with His face pressed against the glass. He is on the outside looking in, desiring to be apart of what is going on inside, desiring to have what is inside, but is denied, the delicacies that abide. God is a jealous God and He will have no other God besides Him or before Him. It is no wonder when we kick God to the curb that he becomes a bit miffed with us and His hedge of protection comes off and we are left uncovered to face the elements of our own record. When are we going to get it, when God said in, Matthew 6:33, “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” It is when we choose God first that we can have the blessings of God. If God’s word becomes our number one paper chase and He becomes our number one priority, we give up the way the world prioritizes for how God prioritizes and then we place ourselves in a position to be covered and blessed of God!

What has become the thing that you are chasing? What has your attention and focus more than God? Whatever it may be, it may very well be time to reprioritize and allow God back in the number one spot, the top position so that He becomes the object of our affection once again and the true Lord of our life and over us!