Monday, October 1, 2007

priority number one

This was today's text reading:

The Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. 1 Samuel 1:27

Paul wrote: We know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Romans 5:3,4

Father, God, only you know your plan for us. In our prayers, we confess our weakness and fear when faced with the unknown. We pray we may learn from every circumstance you bring us, and to be faithful to your will for us. Amen.


Last night I was reading the chapter about simplicity in Celebration of Discipline and Richard Foster was talking about putting God's kingdom first. I think this is something key for me right now.

"Focus on the kingdom produces the inward reality... Nothing else can be central. The desire to get out of the rat race cannot be central, the redistribution of the world's wealth cannot be central, the concern for ecology cannot be central. Seeking
first God's kingdom and the righteousness, both personal and social, of that kingdom is the only thing that can be central in the Spiritual Discipline of simplicity. The person who does not seek the kingdom first does not seek it at all."


I have to remember why I am here, what my purpose is. And Ireland isn't it, 24-7 isn't it, it's Jesus.

1 comment:

Jonathan said...

I like the new template. It looks great. I also like the content. Good posts. Knowing Jesus is really what it is all about. It is so easy to get distracted from that one thing. I have often wondered how to maintain that balance.

Lately I have been pondering the role fear plays in our lives and how it paralyzes us from being what God has made us to be. Because we don't know God as we should, we are afraid and the enemy is able to use that fear to lie to us and cause us to shrink from what God has called us to do and be.

How different would our lives look if we truly believed that God is good, that all of our sins really are forgiven, that He loves us unconditionally, and that everything that happens in our lives is for our good and His glory? Perfect love casts out fear. God is love.