What does a life look like...

In the old testament there are many teachings about putting God first in their lives.  God had saved them many times from oppression by foreign armies in some very spectacular ways.  And yet, the people always returned to their old selfish ways.  One of the last times God raised up the Babylonian King to come and deport the last of the Jewish people to Babylon as slaves.  This lasted 70 years and God pressed the King, now Persian, to let the people of Israel return to their land of Judah.   Under the direction of 3 leaders, Nehemiah (Governor), Ezra (Priest) and Haggai (Prophet) the people began rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and their homes and then the temple of God.  

Still the people lapsed back in many ways to their old habits of putting themselves first.  The Prophet, Haggai, speaks for the Lord.  

"You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because My house lies in ruins, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses."  Hag 1:9 

Once again they were building up their houses while leaving God's house, the temple, in ruins.  

Jesus tells a similar story in the New Testament about a rich, successful man. 

Then He told them a story: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, 'What should I do? I don't have room for all my crops.' Then he said, 'I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I'll sit back and say to myself, "My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!"' 

"But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?' "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."  Luke 12:16-21

I am reminded of this story often when I put my work before my service to His Kingdom...when I put my home improvements over my service to others ... even when I put my own comfort before His mission.  He reminds us that while caring for our families,  working responsibly and caring for the resources He has provided us, still we cannot put those things ahead of His plans, His methods and His mission.

He reminds us.  "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need."  Luke 12:31

We are not much different than those people of Israel.  With life's demands we can often find ourselves stressed out with our responsibilities and though we love the Lord, we can begin to let time with Him, with His people and in His mission slip believing in His grace and understanding.   We know that God is extremely patient with all of us but it is possible that our stress is a consequence of not putting Him first?  Is it possible that parents are teaching their children that it's ok to focus on ourselves because God will understand? Is it possible that, like the people of Israel, He will allow negative circumstances to come our way to remind us of our priorities?  We have only to look at our calendars and our checkbooks to measure whether we are putting God first in our lives or not.   

What does a life look like where God is truly first in everything?