If God is the answer to all of our needs, why do we place such a low importance or priority upon our relationship with Him? Why do we offer Him the left overs of our lives?
It dawned on me that we are all sick. We are all perishing and frankly decaying in this life. True, as children we are growing and absorbing the world around us as we do – but we are constantly dwelling in a cycle of life that eventually leads to our death. Our physical bodies begin to wear out.
I will never forget the first time period in my life where I began to see this occur. I was still a teenager when I began to feel pain within the joints of my knee. Arthritis had come early. Now several decades later, the pain is no longer just confined to a knee, it’s in both knees, both ankles and moving to my hands. I’m aging. Decaying. I am not unique to this life – rather, I am drifting along the way that all mankind does.
But here’s the thing: I don’t want to drift through this life. I have no intention of living this life without intentionally living it for Christ. I don’t have any desire to travel through without God. I need Him. I want to know Him more. I desire to lean into His arms and allow Him to carry me through all that this life throws my way. If those are my desires, how can I invest only leftover time into this relationship? I can’t.
Those we desire to be closest to, typically get our best. That which holds our heart, holds our time. Our resources. Who holds your time? Who or what consistently receives your resources?
God is not interested in our seconds. The Bible says, “You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about His relationship with you.” (Exodus 34:14) God is not interested in our seconds. He says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Before we try to justify or rationalize how we are living, by making the excuse that we don’t worship “gods,” let me ask you as I ask myself: Is there anything that we put above our relationship with God? Is there anything that has our heart? You see, I think we often look at the concept of gods as some sort of wooden or metal idol. As if the only gods we might have are set up in little shrines within our homes. While that could be the case, in our culture, my heart says our idols are easier to be deceived by. What do you make a priority with your time? Your heart? Your resources? Those are your gods.
If you have time to religiously watch your TV shows, but you don’t have time to spend in the word of God, I would say you have made TV a god.
If you have invested money into season tickets for your favorite sports team, but you can barely afford your basic necessities, and certainly have no money to tithe, I would say you have made your sports team a god.
If you fill your time with work, spending huge amounts of hours building your company and your portfolio, while your family is forced to do life without you, I would say you have made your work a god.
We make ourselves gods all the time. And when we do, we pay the price. God is not interested in, nor does He deserve our leftovers.
Seeking God isn’t something that we just casually do it requires us to be intentional about it. When we aren’t absolutely intentional, it rarely happens.
Who do you want to be? What role do you want God to have in your life? If you want to be a Christ follower, it is time to step up our game, and live with Him as the priority. If we want God to have control of our lives, we have to give Him the reigns. If we don’t, He will let us continue to keep driving, but we miss out on the blessings, the provision, and the nearness of the God of all Creation.
God’s love remains forever with those who fear Him and continually seek to make Him first.
Blessings!
Great post. Putting other gods before the one true God leads to the shallow life for sure.
I’m always curious what people mean when they say that “God is the answer to all our needs.” It’s a huge assumption to make and I get where it comes from. To me it’s also very ambiguous. So what do you assume that to mean?
My experience has been that there is not a need that has arisen in my life that God has not been able to provide for. He has certainly not given me provision in all the ways that I expected Him to. Life has not always gone the way I had hoped, nor have circumstances and situations been smooth. That being said, even in my darkest of times – my biggest struggles – God’s hand has been all over it. Sometimes I can see it in the moment. Sometimes I can’t see it until later. I think the struggle lies here in what we believe we “need.” I think we often have skewed perspectives of what our needs are. God meets our need to be loved. God meets our need to be chosen. God meets our need to be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. God meets our physical needs, but greater than that: He meets our spiritual needs by providing hope and life eternal to be spent in His presence.