I read a sign the other day that said, “When you can no longer handle it yourself, give it to God.”
I cringed.
I cringed because it seemed perfectly fine to most people who thought it was a perfectly nice sign and that it was doing a perfectly good job at pointing people to God. I cringed because it was a very “religious” thing to say. I cringed, most of all, because I saw it in church, during worship.
Why is it that ever so often, we make all our plans and then only turn to God when the plans fall apart?
“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3:6 (TLB)
“So don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to.” Matthew 6:31-33 (TLB)
Give Him First Place
Have you ever asked yourself, how do I put God first? How do I give Him first place in my life? Some might say that it means never missing Church on Sunday, no matter what. Others might say to make sure that the first action you take in the morning when you wake up is to pray, meditate or read the Bible…in other words, putting God first is putting Him first in the day. Others might say that it means that before taking any decision, you consult God, lifting the situation to Him first, in prayer.
But it is a bit deeper than all this… it is about relationship.
Putting God first actually starts with being born again – repenting, accepting Christ in your life, and being baptised. Becoming born again immediately grants you membership in a new family (the body of Christ), a new life (a fulfilling life in which you reach your highest potential), and new freedom (power over sin so you can live free of its burdens and enjoy the life God intended you to live).
Then, you have to honour God as your top priority…not just giving him what you deem is His (Sunday mornings), or fulfilling righteousness (routinely praying 15 minutes in the morning, for example), or being religious (saying a quick prayer before taking your decision). Putting God first means that nothing and no one can be more important or more of a priority than your relationship with Him. Putting God first means seeing every aspect of your life in the light of His will and His desire for you.
The first of the Ten Commandments says we are to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3). We are not to make for ourselves any idols of any kind because He will not tolerate affection for any other gods (Deuteronomy 5:9). Anything we allow become our priority, anything we worship or put an excessive amount of time into has become a god to us. Even our feelings and desires can become a god if we allow them to control us.
Are you bowing down to God and His Word or to some other god? Are you taking all your decisions “yourself” and only paying lip service to consulting God?
Live as He wants you to
Jesus’ life was perfect with regards to putting God first, so we should look at the way He lived His life and imitate Him, attempting to walk in the same way that He walked (1 John 2:6). Jesus’ life was characterized by submission to the Father’s will, service to others, and prayer. It is interesting to note that Jesus never pursued worldly ambition in any way and never pursued the glory of this world. He had every gift, talent, and ability to make Himself the wealthiest or most famous man who ever lived. But there was only one goal that He considered worthy of His talents—the glory of the Father.
The time, resources, energy, gifts, and knowledge of God that has been given is not for us to use to gain influence, make money, or fuel pride, but instead to multiply glory for the master (Matthew 25:14–30) and to be His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).
So, are you living right? Are you living for His glory all the time, or do you allow yourself some off days?
Make it your goal to have a deep, intimate relationship with God and let Him into every area of your life. If you constantly look to other people for answers and validation, pray about this and ask the Lord to help you stop doing that and instead look to Him (1 Thessalonians 2:4).
As we live to please God, He promises to bless our lives and make us prosper. God honours us when He is honoured as our top priority.
So, instead of giving it to God when you can no longer handle it yourself, my advice is give it to God NOW, put Him first and let Him handle it.
Let go and LET GOD!
Email me at Onyinye.cn@kda.org.ng