Weather report from heaven: Sunny and bright with an abundance of light, and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture: “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”- Genesis 1:26-28
Insight: As we continue on with our series on Practical Christianity, today we take a look at the alignment that is present in God’s Kingdom through Jesus Christ. We do this to ask ourselves a very tough but crucial question: Is that alignment present in our lives? God gives very clear instructions throughout the Bible of how He set the Universe up and what our part is to play in it for things to go well for us. God must be first in our lives. We must love Him above all else. Anything else that is first is simply an idol and needs to be reprioritized into its proper place. Jesus answered a question about this from a Pharisee in no uncertain terms when asked what is the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:36-37 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
The second most important priority for us after God is our family, specifically our wife and children. We will be held responsible for how well we steward the things like family that God holds near and dear to His heart. Proverbs 11:29 says “Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.” Our family must come 2nd to God. I see so many people, including myself, who get these top two out of order. How? If we’re honest, we tend to put work, our careers or money in the place of God or family at the top of our pyramid. But this is never sustainable. It will lead to major problems if not corrected because it is out of alignment with God’s will. I have fought against this time and time again, sometimes not even consciously, and only became tired and frustrated. It is guaranteed that Matthew 6:24 will prevail every time in this battle “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Put God first, family 2nd, and everything else after that, including work and money, and your life will flow like a well fed stream with a natural rhythm and power that makes life full of the joy we all seek. It doesn’t mean tough times won’t come, they surely will, but we will have the amount of energy needed to fight those battles because we won’t have unnecessarily expended it on living a life that is out of alignment with God’s will.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for giving us a roadmap of how best You want us to live, and showing us the proper alignment that brings You much glory and praise. We pray this in jesus’ mighty name. Amen!
Join me on an exciting new platform Foundations of Freedom below!
https://www.foundationsoffreedom.com/freedom-gateway-promotion/38264-8ac1b-841ab-7464b-4c58r5-3573c
0 Comments