"No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
::Luke 9:62::
"In a strange way, Jesus could be very strict. Today, we read about people who wanted to follow Him, but they wanted to wait a while. They had important things to do first. But when people said they wanted to attend to other matters first, Jesus unrelentingly answered, 'Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you' (Matthew 6:33). This was the only way to do it. Nothing else should come before the kingdom of God.
Maybe we recall Jesus' words about what was sown among the thistles. It isn't only obvious sins that can keep a person away from God, but also honorable duties, daily obligations, things we think can't be neglected.
The question is, what comes first? God created us to live with Him, through Him, for Him, and to Him. We can't do that without His Word. It's through His Word that God begins a relationship with us. The Word needs time. You can't hear it, read it, or learn it without devoting a certain amount of time to it. We have to take that time. We shouldn't let anything disturb us during that time. There are a great many distractions that try to do that. Jesus speaks about the concerns we have today that demand our attention and fill our day. They're already waiting for us at our bedside in the morning. They demand our interest and set the order of the day for us. They make us wonder how we will find time for everything. It's tempting to shorten our morning prayer or forget it altogether. It's so easy for us to say: I don't have time today. Now the thorns are beginning to grow over our heads. They will keep growing until one day we may no longer see heaven.
Lord, tell me every day that I need to seek Your king-
dom first. I need to hear it so much. I know what
is most important, and yet it is easy for me to let
everything else get in the way. I know that Your
Word is the bread of life and I can't live without it.
Yet, I still try to, time after time. But I don't neglect
my meals. I very seldom let anything get in the
way of them. Lord, make me that concerned about
my soul so it receives the bread of life it needs so
much. Make it obvious to me that You come first
and are more important than anything else in the
world. I can live without most of what I have in
this world, but I can't live without You."
:~:Bo Giertz:~:
~ This is from the book To Live with Christ. It is a daily devotions book by Bo Giertz. My dad checked it out from the church library, and he had me read this one the other day. It really piqued my interest, so I thought I would share it with you all. :0) I hope you find it just as intriguing and enchanting to the mind as I did.
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