Proper Priorities

I've been feeling disappointed and angry at myself because of how my spiritual walk is going...I'd explain but there's no reason to. I've been asking God what to do and He has been responding each and every time, I just didn't know it..Until I read this devotional today. It really hit home for me. Hopefully it will help someone else going through the same situation. I guess we sometimes forget this is about Him and me, but especially about Him.

" Proper Priorities

""[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him..." - Philippians 3:10 AMP

I recently heard from a young woman who had become frustrated and bewildered in her walk with the Lord. She said that as much as she had felt the urge to move forward, her spiritual progress had nearly come to a standstill. There were even times when she felt like her prayers weren't being heard. She went on to list a number of good works that she was performing in her church, as well as personal achievements she had accomplished in the Lord's service. She ended her note by saying that she felt as though she was helping everyone else to deepen their walk with Christ, but she was neglecting her own relationship with the Lord.

Unfortunately, this scenario is not uncommon among God's people, and it's nothing new, either. Back in the time of the prophet Hosea, the Lord told His people: "I don't want your sacrifices--I want your love; I don't want your offerings--I want you to know Me." (Hosea 6:6 TLB) I can remember growing up, and my grandmother telling me, "I don't want your gifts, I want your love." Hearing her words often made me angry, especially if the gift I had given her was costly. The truth was that giving her material things was a lot easier than loving her the way she desired and deserved. How often do we do this to the Lord? We don't hesitate to write out a check for our church, or a favorite ministry. We volunteer for various ministry-related duties, especially if they profit us, or bring us recognition somehow. But we wince and whine at the idea of meeting alone with God on a deliberate, consistent basis in order to engage in undistracted communion with Him. It's not that the Lord doesn't want or appreciate our service to Him and others, but He wants us to get our priorities straight. Our good works apart from nurturing a personal, intimate relationship with the Lord mean very little to Him.

The apostle Paul wrote: "[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly]..." (Philippians 3:10 AMP) Paul's highest priority in life was to know Christ in a deep and intimate way. As a result, he is still impacting lives for the Lord 2,000 years later. The young woman who wrote me obviously wanted to make her own mark on the world, but she was going about it in the wrong way. She was focusing too much on her personal ministry and good works, and not enough on getting to know the Lord better. As a result, she was drifting away from the very God she sought to serve. Scripture says: "The people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits." (Daniel 11:32 NKJV) In other words, if we want to do great things for God, then we must "know" Him--not in a superficial or surface way, but deeply and intimately....(Read the rest of the devotional at: www.Jesusfreakhideout.com)"

God Bless!!
Rita M.

...Funny thing about the title is I was thinking about sorting out my priorities, but like always i let it slide...