Don’t Wait to Prioritize!

Devotional Reading: Ecclesiastes 12:1 NKJV
Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”:

Today is a good day to trust God. Too often we struggle with balancing and making things work that He never intended for us to deal with in the first place.

I’ve discovered in my own life that it is usually the things I feel like: 1 - I can handle myself, 2 - are too trivial for God, or 3 - “I got myself into this. I’ll get myself out it”...that causes the missteps that ultimately result in NOT trusting God. Who are we kidding? Really? What ends up happening is a vicious cycle of spinning wheels. At some point we will either come to the revelation that “hey, I can’t fix this” or be resolved to the ridiculousness of “I....just....need...a...little....more...time”. Either way, in the meantime, reality dictates just how precious  and invaluable time really is. Wasting it is foolish.

Some things we CAN control. Other things we can simply give to God first (with minimal fingerprints), move on and produce good fruit as a result of our willing obedience. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be productive.

I refuse to knowingly wait until I end up in a Hezekiah-ish situation! The Bibles says: “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.” - Isaiah 38:1

Though Hezekiah’s situation turned out favorably, I'd rather not take that gamble! Knowing the risk is avoidable by stopping right now and submitting my will to God is worth the bruised ego/pride it may cause. Hezekiah was spared because, in the heat of the moment, he knew what to do. He turned his face to the wall and prayed. To his advantage he had an extensive resume of pleasing God in the past. Yet an ultimatum I DO NOT wish to experience. If for no other reason, personally, I can admit that I don't always know what to do.  

As a kid I enjoyed wrestling with my older cousins. It wasn't like I didn't know I was going to lose every time. What kept me excited about re-challenging them was the idea that I felt like I improved and learned more tricks in-between bouts. What I didn't know is I was so far behind that the only way to excel or even catch up to their skillset would take a whole lot more time than what I was investing. Drinking a glass of milk and doing three pushups before running by slapping a quarterback on the back of his head just didn't cut it. Somehow the revelation never came until I was in a serious headlock, a full or half Nelson crying "MERCY" or "UNCLE". Choosing our battles is critical. I can't even begin to count how many fights I never should have been involved in. At some point I just had to stop.

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." 1 Corinthians 13:11

Don’t delay! Get your house in order TODAY. Who knows what's been held up from you while He's waiting for you to cry "mercy"... Or what all you really can't see that God has in-store for you while your lens is out of focus...

Be blessed!
Pastor Samu-el