Thursday, December 07, 2006

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.

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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...

1 comment:

Luciana DeVito said...

This devotional was great! Thanks! Everything in it is true, you can be in church every time the doors open and volunteer for everything they have to offer, but if your main goal is not to deepen YOUR relationship to Christ, then it will all be in vain.

I also love Daniel 11:32, but I prefer the NASB version: "the people who know their God will display strength and take action."

The knowledge and intimacy with the Lord which we gain from daily walk with Him should result in both a quiet spirit within us to know that He IS in control of a situation, AND when necessary, not to fear (2 Chronicles 20:15 [Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.]when the circumstances seem too tough (Numbers 13 & 14 a great example).

Don't fret, the enemy wants you to wonder WHERE is God......that's the best he can do to a child of God! Satan knows he won't get your soul (you will not be tormented for eternity), the best he can hope for is to torment you on the earth by making you doubt the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob!