Articles
First Things First
The phrase, “putting first things first” (or its equivalent) is common: you don’t put the cart before the horse. In your life, do you put first things first?
Do you give God first place in your heart?
“The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mk. 12:29-30).
Do you give God the first hour of your day?
“I anticipated the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy words” (Psa. 119:147).
“O Jehovah, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice; In the morning will I order my prayer unto thee, and will keep watch” (Psa. 5:3).
Do you give God the first fruits of your labor?
“Honor Jehovah with thy substance, And with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy vats shall overflow with new wine.” (Prov. 3:9-10).
“Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper” … “Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:7).
Do you give God the first day of every week?
“When therefore ye assemble yourselves together…” (1 Cor. 11:20); “If therefore the whole church be assembled together” … (1 Cor. 14:23); “And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread” (Acts 20:7); “For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come.” (1 Cor. 11:23-26); “…let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised: and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh” (emph. mine, ret; Heb. 10:22-25).
Do you give God the first consideration in everything you do?
“And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?” (Josh. 5:14).
“I will meditate on thy precepts, And have respect unto thy ways” (Psa. 119:15).
Do you seek first the kingdom of God, or are you anxious about the morrow?
“But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt. 6:33-34). Ross
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