God established order at creation. He is not a God of chaos; He is a God of purpose. He has purpose and direction for every person.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, KJV).
The definition of fear is holy reverence, respect, awe, due regard, and honor. The fear spoken of in this Scripture is filial fear which is the fear of a child in relation to a parent. When you have this fear, you tend to shun anything that may offend God because you aim at complete obedience. You don’t want to make any choices that would hurt Him.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33, KJV).
We must seek God first, including all that is within His will. Invite Him and His presence into all that you do. When this part in the order of your life is established, your commitments will be directed by God, and your priorities will make sense.
I had the opportunity to hear Brooke Pamer speak at a women in ministry conference earlier this year. She made many life-impacting points, but two of them that specifically go along with my thoughts here are:
“We empower what we allow our mind to meditate on.”
“What’s going on in your mind determines your perception.”
Ask yourself in every situation, “Does this please God?” and “Does this expand His kingdom?” Terry Shock preached a sermon on this once, which has stuck with me.
When we put God first and seek Him first every day, every minute, at the onset of every decision, we empower Him to have access to our lives, and we will perceive things from His perspective. With God as our priority, we will please Him, leading to our decisions and actions expanding His kingdom. The opposite is also true. If we allow doubt to live in our minds, that is what we empower. We are walking into situations with insecurities and perceptions warped by this thinking. We aren’t receiving God’s intended direction in these situations because of where our mind is focused. This doesn’t please God, and it doesn’t expand His kingdom.
“Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5, KJV).
“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established” (Proverbs 16:3, KJV).
Who are you seeking to please? What are you working for? Who are you committed to?
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delighteth in his way” (Psalm 37:23, KJV).
We do things because God wants us to when we’re fearing Him and allowing Him to lead us and order our lives, days, families, and choices. Our parenting and our ministry involvement are all for Jesus. We see the benefits because God provides them for us, not because we earn or provide it for ourselves. We see His way makes sense because He makes sense. He is a God of order!
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation” (Psalm 68:19, KJV).
We don’t do things for His benefits. We do things for and unto the Lord by seeking Him first and following through with His direction. He then provides the benefits.
We must stay out of his way so our priorities can be ordered correctly. Things get out of sorts if we step in and start deciding what should happen without first consulting His plan.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, KJV).
What is in your heart? What are you teaching, speaking, showing, or writing? What mark are you making? What legacy are you leaving? What example are you setting?
Is your commitment to God evident? Are your priorities reflecting that commitment?
What is written on the posts of your house?
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