Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. [Matthew 6:33 (NLT)]
Who comes first in our lives? Without a doubt, when I was a child, it was me. As far as I was concerned, the world pretty much revolved 
around me, myself and I: my toys, my games, my friends, my wants, my school, my plans. As I matured, I became a little less self-involved but I have to admit that my priorities still revolved around me: my education, my husband, my children, my family, my projects, my future! All of these are important, but no matter how much I love my husband, children and grandchildren, and no matter how worthwhile my projects or causes, none of these should be my first priority. That should always be God.
I wish I could say that God has always been first and foremost in my life. I wish I could say that the Holy Spirit has guided me in all of my decisions and that I held Jesus’ hand whenever I was troubled or afraid. I wish I could say I was obedient to His word and that His love always led my way. Unfortunately, I can’t. I know that if I had done those things, my life would have been happier; it certainly would have been more peaceful. As wonderful and fulfilling as my days have been, if God had come first, there certainly would have been fewer problems and more joy, fewer tears and more smiles. Nevertheless, I have no intention of wasting time in regrets or shedding tears over what I should have done or what might have been. Instead, I plan on regularly and prayerfully evaluating my priorities from this day forward.
I came across an acronym that not only reminds me of how to set my priorities but also tells me the reward of setting them correctly: JOY. Jesus comes first, Others are second, and You come last! If we follow that order, we’ll have joy in our lives!
Who’s on first in your life?
The measure of life is revealed in the quality of our relationships: with God, our families, our fellow men. [From “A Perfect Day” by Richard Paul Evans]
The Philistine army, hoping to capture King David, raided the valley of Rephaim. Before responding to the attack, David stopped and asked God what action he should take. He didn’t present his battle plan for God’s consideration nor did he take action before receiving God’s instruction. God told David to go to battle, assuring him of victory over the Philistines. When the battle went as God had promised, David wisely did not take credit for the victory. “God did it!” he exclaimed, giving credit where credit was due. The Philistines, however, returned and raided the valley again. Although David had previously defeated them, he didn’t assume a similar victory the second time. Again, the shepherd king paused, looked to God for his battle plan and listened to His advice. This time, God gave him a new strategy, telling David to circle his army around behind the Philistines and wait for a sound like marching feet in the trees before attacking. David followed God’s advice and was victorious once again.
If I ran the world, I wouldn’t be plagued with arthritis and my husband wouldn’t have a bum leg that prevents him from skiing and snowshoeing. As long as I’m fantasizing, calories wouldn’t count, we’d always have fresh powder on the slopes, and ski boots would be comfortable. If I ran the world, floors would mop themselves but, chances are, I’d end up like Mickey Mouse in the movie Fantasia and find myself overwhelmed with uncontrollable brooms, buckets and a flood. As the cartoon mouse learned, power without wisdom can make for a mess. Fortunately, God hasn’t resigned from His role and I concede that His plan is always better than mine. I’ve come to recognize that even when we understand God’s plan, even when we know His plan is the right one, and even when we finally accept it, we may not necessarily like it very much.
Devotions of the Heart 