Title: Putting God First
Contents
Bible: Matthew 6:25-34
As we approach the new year, I am very curious about what thoughts our members have as they start the new year. The important message of the Ten Commandments is “There is no other god but God, so we must always put God first in our lives.” is the word. So, in the first place in our life, no one but God can go to the first place.
Today's text Matthew 6:33 "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you also." The Word emphasizes that we must have God in the first place in our lives.
We need to realize that God gave us life and that 2007 has come to us. We must live by this belief. Many people are unaware of this fact, and there are many cases where 2007 seems to have been given by itself. However, for those of us who have undergone life-changing surgery last year, or those of us who have suffered enough to die and come back to life due to various causes, the feeling of welcoming 2007 is probably new.
However, it is important to remember that not only those who have gone through such a difficult event, but also us, welcomed the new year in 2007 because God, the Lord of life, gave us life. Therefore, I hope that God, who gave us life, will take the first place in our lives.
God not only gave us life, but also allowed us to live as holy and honorable sons and daughters of God in 2007. We should remember and realize this grace, but many people forget this grace.
Why are there so many crosses around us? The cross is the event that Jesus died on the cross to make us honorable as sons and daughters of God. Every time you see the cross, you must remember that we became sons and daughters of God because of that cross. As we live as sons and daughters of God, of course, we must put God first in our lives.
When should you serve God? You must serve God from an early age. I have one certainty. ‘If you raise a child in church, the child will surely do well.’ ‘If you entrust your child to God from an early age, God will take care of the child until the end.’ This is my conviction.
And when we are young, we have nothing to say. I believe that we should live with the vision and dream God gives us when we are young people who need to have an ideal and a vision.
Middle age, how important is this time? There are many responsibilities at this time. There are many important decisions to be made. It's just something you can't really make decisions about. In this important middle age, we believe that we should put God first and live with God's wisdom.
And old age is so precious. When you get old, one or two of your friends leave. Young people also leave the old. That is why the psalm says, “God, never forsake me when I am gray.” An earnest prayer is coming out. The older we get, the more we need to put God first.
Then, where should we put God in the first place? our heart. If there is anything else in our hearts instead of God, it is idolatry. If children are first in our hearts, then children are idols, and if material things are in our hearts, then material things are idols. When God is the master of our home, our home becomes heaven, and when God disappears from our home, our home can never become heaven. I hope you have God first in your home.
Now, what is the concrete way to put God in the first place? It goes without saying that we love God. The one you love must meet again and again. If you say you love me and don't meet, it's not love. To put God first is to meet God every day.
For us to put God in the first place, we must dedicate the first hour of the day to God, the first day of the week, to God. I hope that you will be members of the 52nd Holy Order Sunday in 2007.
And to put God first is to trust God completely. “My lord, do your will.” We ask that we give ourselves completely before God's hands.
What is the way to put God first? It is obedience to the word of God. Obedience is the most important thing. Even though we say we love Jesus, we often nail Him to the heart of Jesus through disobedience. Please remember that putting God first is obedience to God's Word.
And I hope you do God's work faithfully. In the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that 2007 will be a year of dedication and service to all of you, no matter what ministry department you enter, putting God in the first place.
2007-01-27 10:22:39