The mom in that story seems to be a loving and caring mom. She seems to be taking care of her kids. But are her priorities correct? Did she choose to prioritize her life according to scripture or the world? What she, you or I choose for ourselves or for others may not be bad, but it may not be right.
You are very smart and know your number one priority should be God. So the question is how do we choose to make God our number one choice in our
personal life,
physical life,
and home life?
1. Personal life
We touched on putting God first in our day in Blog 2. I hope you have made that choice. The next choice is choosing to spend quality time in His Word and in His truth. Whether it is time reflecting on one verse, reading a passage of scripture or doing a bible study, we must choose to be in His Word. How can we make other choices in life if we do not know what God's Word says?
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11
So you know this fact. You may even have this verse memorized, but finding the time is hard. As I have said before, we need to stop trying. When we are sick, we eventually schedule a doctor's appointment so we may get better. We want a healthy mouth so we schedule a dentist appointment. We want healthy hair or a change in style, we schedule a hair appointment. We want to be able to see when we drive or read, so we schedule an eye appointment. Why not schedule our time with God and His Word? Do we not need our hearts healed, sins forgiven, our tongues tamed, our eyes to see clearly?
Maybe you are thinking if you schedule it, it will mean less or not be personal. At times it might not be, but as you read His truths, His promises, His love for you; will your heart not change? Will you not began to desire Him? You choose a time for you and God, you choose to make Him a priority, you will see God in your life. Now choose a time. It may different or the same each day. It might be at a meal time, in the morning, during nap time, in the evening before bed (yes that would mean God over TV). Choose the time and choose to stick with it. Your spiritual health and growth depend on it.
2. Physical
How do choose to make God a priority in your physical life? Are your choices a direct sin against the body? Do you choose to consume too much junk through food, tv, music or the internet? Do you choose to concentrate too much on physical appearance? Do you choose not to get enough rest and exercise? (Read Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Proverbs 31:17,25,30)
If you have chosen to commit a direct sin against the body through sexual immorality then you need to immediately choose to stop. It is not an option. It will mess you up in so many ways if you choose to continue down that path. Choose to be one with God and your spouse only. Stop and go before God right now. Confess your choices, repent and flee from them. If you are a child of God, you will be forgiven. Choose to honor God with your body.
If we are so busy staring at our physical image in the mirror, we are not looking to see if we reflect God. Our physical looks consume us. We have chosen to give them control. We choose to focus on our physical flaws and let the enemy direct all our attention to those flaws. We choose to spend time, energy and money on our physical beauty instead of our inner beauty. Our physical appearance is our priority but it should not be.
We must choose to take care of our physical bodies. We must choose to exercise, get plenty of rest and eat healthy. We must choose not to focus on the image of our physical bodies, but the health. Our health affects our energy and stamina which affects our ability to minister and serve others. We choose to have a healthy life by scheduling exercise.
3. Home
What priority does your home reflect: God or the world? By sounds? By actions? By schedules?
You have chosen to make school a priority for yourself or for your kids. You have chosen extracurricular activities that become priorities because of the time dedicated to them. Have you chosen to put God as a priority in your home?
School work is not option. We have made sports and/or other activities at any age not an option. So why is choosing time as family to pray , study God's word together, fellowship as a family an option? It is not. Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9.
Your priority in the home is given to you.
"IMPRESS, TALK, TIE, WRITE"
What your child learns at school, on the football field, in dance class, on the TV will not prepare them for the trials and temptations of life. If you are a parent or will be one day...you do not have a choice, you have a command. And the command is not just take them to church. Choosing not to put God as your first priority in your life will have consequences. Those consequences will be your child's.I have worked in children's ministry for 11 years. As of this year, I am a mother of a high schooler and a second one that will soon be a middle schooler plus two younger ones. I have heard and seen more from my own and other's children. The issues that I have seen them deal with should not be issues any child should have. I could make your jaw drop from conversations I have had with nine year olds. The world has thrown them into adulthood too soon. (and you cannot shelter them from it all in today's world and eventually they leave home.) They need to be prepared for these things. They need to know the truth and how to stand up for what is right and what is pure. They need a spirit that will convict and help them turn back. You have to choose to
"IMPRESS, TALK, TIE, WRITE" (Deut 6:7-9)
You will choose to schedule family devotionals. You will choose to at least once a week pray together as a family (my four year old holds our family accountable to that one.) You will choose to sit down at a meal and not only discuss the happenings of the day, but how you can pray for one another and how to handle situations according to God. You will choose to hold each other accountable in your personal prayer and study time. You will choose to provide your child with material to learn God's truths on a daily basis. You will choose to schedule these things first.
You do everything to make sure your child does well in school. You spend time with them on homework or practicing on their extra activities. Now choose to spend your time and energy on the biggest priority: their walk with God.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
Proverbs 22:6
How will your priorities in your home train your child?
A mom rises before others and comes before the Lord in prayer. She prays over her kids while she makes breakfast and helps them get ready. She asks how she can pray for them today. They worship together in the car on the way to school. After school, they tackle homework and on the way to practice discuss decisions the kids made today and if they reflected God. But her son is facing big temptation and going through a trial. Okay, they miss practice so they can talk. At dinner the family laughs about the silly happenings of the day and everyone shares a prayer request for the next day. Each family member prays for another one. Showers began and while one child takes his shower another reads his daily devotional.
Does the story at the beginning reflect you or the one at the end? Simple choices that do not take much time, impact us greatly. What priority will you choose? And if you are not a parent or married yet, what priorities will you have now so you will be prepared for that step in your life? If your children are grown, how can you choose priorities that will still train your children? Maybe just an email with scripture and a prayer will help.
Before our next step...
We have spent time looking at the choice that matters the most: God. I wanted to make this point clear before we got into anything else. Now we are about to get into other choices and the mess and stress they have caused. We will discuss how to make different choices to get rid of some of the mess and stress.
Please make sure you never forget the first choice you make each day and choosing to make God a priority in your life and home.
As the next blogs come, you can read it will be split into the 3 sections. We will discuss choices and have steps to apply in each section. If you do not have a Bible with you, you can go to http://www.biblegateway.com/ to look up scripture. Some days may be a lot to swallow, some days you will be so ready for change it will be easy. The most important thing you can choose to do is start your day before God. Dealing with some of these topics will require humbleness and willingness to hear the truth. So continue to choose God first and choose to go on this journey. We are going to choose to clean up the mess and stress we have created in our lives and homes.
If you are joining me on this journey, please sign up as a follower, add a comment or email me. I want to be able to pray for you by name each day as you go on this journey.
And for now rejoice in His truth.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. " Jeremiah 29:11
"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings" Psalm 17:8
"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you." Psalm 86:5
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I will trust." Psalm 91:1-2
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