we put many things before God.
He has always played second fiddle to our spouses, children, friends, work, hobbies, TV, movies, the beach, facebook, internet, and many other forms of commitment and recreation.
as much as the Lord would certainly be more than ready to destroy anything that hinders us from following Him, He doesn’t. why? because He waits for us to take the initiative to renounce everything and everyone else — in preference for Him.
the problem is, we love our current lives too much — we want nothing in it gone. not even for the God who gave us them.
but how many times have we been heartbroken by the spouse, disobeyed by the children, rejected by friends, bypassed at work, frustrated in our hobbies, unproductive from too much TV or facebook, disappointed by movies, ended up with a bad day at the beach, or victimized by scam email on the net?
in other words, these people and concerns we prefer over God always manage to let us down. but do we ever stop to think if they have really been worth neglecting Him for?
Only God is perfect and good. He never lets us down.
“we must let everyone else come or go, and we must be guided solely by our relationship to Him…. when our loyalties conflict, we must always obey Jesus Christ whatever the cost… and once the call of God comes to us, we start going and never stop.” –– My Utmost For His Highest
—————————————–
“my Lord Jesus, this day has been a tough one and You, above all, know why. i lift up to you the family members whom i have always loved and valued so much all my life but are being cold, difficult, and unhelpful towards me now. I ask for the grace to overcome my sadness and focus on every other good thing in my life. i ask that You bless us all so that love and charity may prevail instead, knowing that You turn everything for the good of those who love You. my Lord God, be with us.”
zippersandrivets 