Now, if someone gave me the key to a treasure box full of riches, I don't know about you, but I would USE IT! So why then when God has given us the keys to experience REAL LIFE in Him, do we consistently choose to put them in a drawer. I have two thoughts on this from my life experience that I'd like to propose:
- We believe that it's too easy: You know the saying "If something seems to good to be true, it probably is?" Well, putting God first certainly seemed like that to me. "God gave me a brain and intelligence and if I'm just supposed to follow him blindly, what's the point?" That was how I reasoned my decision to retain control. I also had learned that to get ahead in life, I needed to work hard at it, and this passive submission just didn't fit the bill. If you, too, struggle with this issue, let me tell you straight-up: "putting God first" is NOT easy. It requires that we surrender our will to God's every day and trust Him with the outcome regardless of what traditional logic would tell us. But that doesn't mean we shut off our brains for good! Instead, the most amazing thing happens in the process: God develops our mind! He teaches us HIS LOGIC and molds our thoughts to a new level. Romans 12:2(NIV) says it best - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will his -- his good and perfect will."
- We believe that putting God first will change us: In my life, I have wrestled so much in fear around this one. I liked me. Other people liked me. If I changed, I would lose some of those things I liked and then who would I be? For those of you who struggle with this like me, here's the bottom-line: Putting God first WILL ABSOLUTELY change you! But it is the best change you could ever make. Think about it this way: God created you! Only He knows why and for what purpose you were created. Only He knows the depths of your potential and the gifts planted within you. And Only He can develop you into the person He created you to be. Psalm 139:13-16(NIV) says of God, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb...all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." When I looked at myself closely, I realized that the person I was hanging onto was lonely, frustrated, dealing with bad relationships, lacking in joy and generally living below her potential. Those were clearly not the plans God had for me when he made me. In the end, I decided that God's track record is far more reliable than my own. What are you holding onto?
While these are two of the reasons I struggled with the most, there are lots of other reasons people fail to put God first in their lives, even if it is their desire. What is your reason?
- Is a busy schedule and hectic life your excuse?
- Is another person - friend, spouse, other - influencing your opinion?
- Or, are you merely just lacking the will to seek God's best for your life?
Regardless, I hope this little post will trigger something in you... something that tells you there is more to life than what you see today... something that knows God's plans for your life have not yet been fulfilled... something that desires all the blessings God has promised for this life and the life to come. He has given us the key to all of this ... USE IT!
God Bless You!
Jill Cohen
Vice President, Kohath Ministries
