“Can I call you back in a bit?
“Sure!” I answered. Three hours later I still had no return call.
“Hi there! How are things going?” I texted. Though I waited, there was no familiar “ping” in reply.
“I’ll meet you guys there,” one group member promised. We kept watching the door to the café, but the person never showed.
No one likes to be put off, ignored, or stood up. Yet, Sunday morning, as I finally got to sit down with my Bible, I realized I had done that very thing to Jesus!
While preparing a cup of tea to sip while I read, something I needed at the grocery store popped into my head. “I’ll just write that on my list first and then read my Bible.” However, from there I looked through my cupboards and frig, writing down other things I was low on. What seemed like a short time later, I glanced at the clock and realized I would have to hurry through my devotions or I would be late for church!
I was doing to God what I disliked others doing to me! And this wasn’t the only time.
One day last week, as I walked through the kitchen to get my Bible, I stepped on bits of litter our cat had tracked across the floor. Glancing at my Bible, I thought, “I’ll just sweep this up first. It won’t take long.” As I emptied the dustpan into the trash can, I noticed it was full so I replaced the bag. When I washed my hands afterward, I decided to load the dishes from the sink into the dishwasher. . . on and on till the morning was half over.
Regrettably, things that seem to need to be done “first” have frequently consumed my time, leaving Jesus by Himself:
“I’ll check Facebook first—you know, to see if there are things going on I need to pray about
“I’ll exercise first and then I can concentrate better
“If I get my shower first, I’ll be more awake.”
While there is some truth to the reasoning behind accomplishing those “firsts”, I am deceiving myself to think that anything is more important than time with Jesus. God’s Word is clear on what our priorities should be:
“First and most importantly seek God’s kingdom and His way of doing and being right, and all these things will be given to you also.” Matthew 6:33
“You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing [time with Jesus] is necessary.” Luke 10:41
May we all be encouraged to put Jesus first today!
