“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 cafĂ©, 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!
