Putting God First Always by Christina

Putting God First Always

By Christina V.

We live in an extremely fast paced world. For some people, life doesn't seem to ever slow down. There's school, work, church, friends, family, and so many other things that take up all of our free time. Most of you reading this are probably still in high school and might actually have some free time on your hands. Once you're an adult though, that free time is gone. You start working full time. You get married. You have kids. Some women work even though they have kids. With everything going on, it can seem really hard to fit in time for the Lord. But God wants us to make time for Him. He wants us to put Him first in our lives. "In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success." Proverbs 3:6 (TLB)

You might wonder how you can make time for Him. Most of us need to get up early so we can get ready for school or work. Try getting up about 15-30 minutes earlier than you normally do and have a devotional time with the Lord. Spend some time in His word and pray. It might seem difficult at first, but you'll get used to it. My day always seems so much harder when I don't fit in my devotional time. That time with the Lord is important so you can get through your day much easier.

If you have trouble understanding parts of the Bible, try picking up a devotional or Bible study book. There's a lot of topics you can study about. They even have some for high school and college age levels. You can also download free podcasts on your iPod of different sermons and Christian conferences.

If you start your day with God, continue the day with Him. When someone upsets you, instead of getting upset at them, take a moment to pray and ask God to help you respond appropriately. When something goes wrong, think of a blessing from the Lord to take your mind off of it. You'll probably end up realizing that it wasn't a big deal anyway. It might be "old school" but in every situation, think "WWJD" or What Would Jesus Do? Would He be responding this way? Would He be acting the way I am?

Some of this may seem very basic, but sometimes we just need reminders like this in life. We're Christians and we need to be good examples to people around us who aren't saved. We also need time with the Lord to help us stay strong in Him every day. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9 (NKJV) God is greater than us so He always needs to come first.