Just the other day, I saw the broadcast of a local church service. This devotion is not meant in any way to be critical of that church, their pastor, or their members. The title of the service was "Put God First." The pastor was a dynamic speaker, more of a motivational kind of speaker than a traditional pastor. At the end of the service, I was left a little confused. The next day, the same broadcast came on again, so this time I watched it with "different eyes". Again, the name of the service was "Put God First". I counted how many times the pastor used that title or some kind of reference to it. He either actually said it or allluded to it only 4 times. But in that same 30-minute broadcast, he "reminded" the congregation that the church sold vitamins for their convenience 7 times.
What does it mean to put God first? Jesus told the people to seek Heaven first, and then all the others things they desired would be added unto them. But, as I have to remind myself many times, these two events of putting God first and all other things being added are mutually exclusive events, that is, they are two totally separate things. We should not be putting God first in order to get the other things we desire. We should be putting God first because we love Him...period. We should allow Him, in His infinite wisdom, to add to our lives only the things He deems necessary. Are we truly putting God first? God's words through that church broadcast reminded me that many times, I am not.
Deuteronomy 4:29 says, "If you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
Jesus, please help me to truly put You first in my life and to put everything else third or fourth. In Jesus name, Amen.
I guess just about everybody has a G.P.S these days. I would be lost without mine. If you don't have one, you don't know what you are missing. It is hard to believe that little box can guide you just about anywhere. Simply type in the address and presto! One night, I was about out of fuel. I was traveling on an unfamiliar road and had no idea where I could find a gas station. But thanks to my G.P.S., it guided me to the closest one. That saved me. Bailey starts driving in a year. I will guarantee she will have one in her car!
God is like a G.P.S. No matter how lost we get or how far off the beaten path we may go, He can instantly guide us back on track. We may feel that we are just too lost for Him to find us. Maybe we feel that we have strayed so far away that He doesn't even want to find us. No way. There is no place we can go that he won't come after us. And don't ever think He doesn't want to. God specializes in saving us. If you are a long way from "Home", punch in your address into God's G.P.S. Trust me, He is there even before you get the address typed in. Our Lord is amazing. G.P.S. should stand for God Personally Saves. Amen!
Chronicles 15:2 says, "The Lord is with you. If you seek Him, you will find Him."
Father, thank-you for saving me from the beaten path. Your perfect love is demonstrated each time you come to our rescue. In Jesus name, Amen,
Country and rockabilly singer Johnny Horton (North To Alaska) was haunted by premonitions of his own death. To those who were close to him, Johnny had an unusual fear of dying. He was married to Billie Jean, Hank Williams Sr.'s Widow. Williams had died on New Year's Day in 1952. Later that year, Horton and Billie Jean tied the knot. On November 5, 1960, Horton was killed in an auto accident. He had just finished performing at the Skyline Club in Austin, Texas. Incredibly, that was also the last place Hank Williams performed before his tragic death. Both men had kissed Billy Jean at the exact same place and on the exact same cheek before each one's death. Coincidence?
Many people didn't believe Jesus was the messiah that had been prophesied generations earlier in the Old Testament. Many thought he was just an ordinary man, despite the mountains of evidence suggesting otherwise. For whatever reason, people chose to overlook His virgin birth, His performed miracles, His raising people from death, and His power over nature. The Bible documents over 50 prophesies from the Old Testament that Christ fulfilled in the New Testament. A modern statistician decided to calculate the odds of any ordinary man fulfilling just 7 of those prophesies. The probability was staggering! He put it into terms that is easier to understand. He said suppose you take one quarter and paint it red. Then you fill up the state of Texas knee-high with regular quarters. Mix all those quarters together, and then blind-fold a man and tell him to walk into that "state" of quarters as far as he wants and pick one quarter. The odds of him picking that exact painted quarter would be the same as any one man fulfilling just seven of those prophesies. Coincidence? No way! Jesus is the Christ!
Luke 2:11 says, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
Father, thank-you for the gift of your Son. Thank you for Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.
