Change Your Priorities

I hate dieting. I have to admit that I am in love with Taco Bell and their crack-filled quesadillas. (Sorry if this is out of line, but let's be real.) I love burritos and tacos and crunchy things in my burritos...and cheese. I love cheese. Thus, I hate dieting. But I know that with dieting comes a healthy, happy life that only broccoli and cauliflower crust pizza can bring me. (It's a lie.) I am the type of person to read of a new fad diet and consider what foods are on the "yes" list, then get the "no" list and see coffee creamer at the top and I'm out. I will not compromise coffee creamer, or burritos, y'all, not to mention pizza.

But isn't that kind of what we do in our faith walks? We say, "ok God, you can have that area of my life. Go ahead and bless my mess." But then we hit finances and time and we say..."umm...I'm out." Or we get to dating standards, or clothing, or forgiveness. "God please bless me, but please don't touch my blessings." C'mon, we've all been there. No one's perfect. In fact, we read of a young, rich man who had all of his stuff together, accept he wouldn't give up his riches. He could recite verses, laws, and knew all sorts of information about faith, not to mention the mansion, the money, and the memories. But he walked away from Christ saddened. He couldn't part with the one thing that stood between him and a deep relationship with his Heavenly Father. He's offering a life of health, but I can't let go of my burritos.

I have to point out that God doesn't look down on our riches, or our blessings, but He does look down on the things that come before Him in our hearts and for this man, it was his riches. Maybe for you it's music, movies, technology, exercise, work, even family. It can literally be anything. The reason is we just don't trust. We don't believe that God can actually offer us something better than another person, or pay raises, or losing weight, or burritos... In fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33-

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

True satisfaction comes from finding God first. Fill your heart with Him and He'll give you all you need. Your priorities will shift, your view of those desirable things will change, and you will find out that only One thing remains when all of those other things are gone. Get rid of the things you put between yourself and God today. Put Him first and prioritize growth in Him. 

The same goes with dieting, I suppose...

Scripture to Read:
Matthew 19:16-30, Matthew 6:33

Questions to Ponder:
What is something you have a hard time letting go? How is it affecting your relationship with God?
How do you seek His Kingdom first, before all else?
What kind of satisfaction do you think you get when you seek His Kingdom first?