First and Foremost

Luke 2: ²² Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

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When I woke this particular day, I had work on my mind. I jumped out of bed and started writing down ideas. I then remembered I had some reports due, so I started thinking about those. I thought about people (bosses) I needed to praise. As I showered I had the news on loudly so I could hear traffic and weather. When I got into the car, I checked voicemail. My day was ready!

• There were times when I placed a huge priority on work.
• There were times when I placed an extreme priority on the company I worked for.
• There were times when I placed getting ahead over what was truly important.

GOD’s law required every first born male to be dedicated to HIM. This was more than likely given to humans to show us how to think of GOD first. JESUS was presented according to the law.

• GOD wants me to think of HIM first on a daily basis.
• GOD wants me to wake up thinking about HIM.
• GOD wants me to order my day around HIM rather than the fleeting worries of life.

Each and every day GOD wants a small sacrifice from me. HE wants time, dedicated time. GOD enjoys praise, acknowledgement and planning, just as much as I do for a company, only HE is far more important. GOD wants me to quiet down my racing ambitious mind so HE can talk to me daily.

• What is first in your life?
• What do you think about or worry about the most?
• Can you set aside time to think about GOD for a little while each day?