Put First Things First
Text: Matthew 6:33 – " But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Greetings, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Today I’m pinch-hitting for my
husband. I pray that you will be blessed.
Several years ago (before Eddie), I was in a relationship that I knew was totally wrong
for me. I knew there was no future in it, but I still stayed. Why? I wanted the
"privilege" of saying that I had somebody. I know I’m not the only one out
there who has traveled this road. Every day men and women "satisfice" (sacrifice
in order to attain immediate satisfaction) for the so-called honor of saying, "I have
a boy/girlfriend" or just because they don’t want to be alone. They can even get
so desperate that they marry the wrong person because they feel that time is running out,
or because all of their friends are getting married.
Well, once I really got involved in the church, I became more and more restless. I
realized that that man was not God’s best for me, so I dumped him. It wasn’t
even hard. I mean, I had "invested" two good years of my life, but hey, once I
got the revelation, homeboy had to hit the road. After that I decided that I was not going
to worry about finding Mr. Right. I was going to focus on developing my relationship with
the Lord and let Him take care of the rest. Put first things first.
So I started studying the Bible and praying more, just spending more time with God, and
it was wonderful. Then, out of the blue, guess who came along? (Well, I shouldn’t say
"came along" because I already knew Eddie somewhat. I just didn’t see him
the way God wanted me to see him.) At first I was a little hesitant because it had only
been a few months since I had made my decision to dump Mr. Wrong. But thank God for a
spirit of discernment which I’m sure was developed during the additional time that I
had spent with Him. After seven months Eddie and I were engaged, and after seven more we
were married. Of course, a few people questioned the whirlwind romance, but we both
"knew" that we had found our God-given mate, so we didn’t let that
influence us.
At this point, you might be thinking, "Well Sister Yon, that’s all good and
fine, but what does that have to do with me? Why do you have me all up in your
business?" I’m glad you asked. Our text tells us to "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness." If we seek God first, He will equip us to
handle what’s in store. But if we aren’t prepared, if we haven’t sought His
guidance, we’ll probably miss the very thing that we so desire. Note that Eddie did
not "come along" until I sought God—–until I started living my life the way
He wanted me to live it, not the way I "thought" I should be living it. Through
my time with the Lord, I gained the wisdom to know who was Mr. Right and who was Mr.
Wrong. And the same holds true for you. God will teach you His way of operating; then He’ll
add the rest.
Some of you may be praying for a mate, and not one eligible bachelor/bachelorette has
crossed your path. You may be praying for financial increase, and not one extra cent has
made its way into your pocket. Why? Because our priorities are mixed up. Why would God
give you a husband/wife if you’re having trouble being single? Why would God give you
financial increase if you aren’t even tithing? Let’s take the time to consider
what the Lord wants. Let’s put first things first, and the rest will be added unto
us-in HIS TIME.