DO YOU TRUST GOD ENOUGH TO LIVE LIKE IT?

I was recently reminded of a critical lesson I learned my first year at in college at the Naval Academy. Pretty much everyone who goes to an Academy finds it academically demanding, but it was even harder for me. I studied every waking moment for months; I saw tutors, went to study sessions, spent hours getting extra instruction from my teachers, and was still failing several of my classes. I didn't take the time to work out, hang out with friends, watch movies, or read more than a verse or two from the Bible. It was looking like I wasn't going to make it and I thought the only chance I had was to spend every available second studying.

A lot of us feel this way at some point in our careers. I don't mean about studying, but about the effort, dedication, status quo, or expectations that our jobs have of us. We think that if we don't follow some unofficial set of conditions that we will not succeed, that we will be viewed by others as less than acceptable. We set other obligations and responsibilities to the side in order to succeed at work, school, sports, etc. We think of it as being responsible, as doing the "wise" thing, as making sacrifices now for some undefined future benefit. But still, we suspect or at least wonder if perhaps somewhere along the way, we lost sight of what really matters.   

I learned something my freshman year that has helped keep me from getting trapped in this pattern of thinking. There is a story in the book of Daniel about three men who were told that if they would simply bow town to a gold statue they would live; but if they didn't bow down they would be killed immediately. They responded by saying that God required that they bow down to him only and that God could save them from being killed. But even if he didn't save them, they would not disobey God by bowing down. When I heard that story I realized that I had been bowing down to my own idol (the need for success in the form of passing grades) but had neglected my relationship with God. I felt convicted to spend time every day praying and reading the Bible. I knew that if I spent that time with God rather than studying, I could very possibly fail and be kicked out of school. But I wanted to be like that Bible story...I would follow God and he was able to help me get passing grades, but even if he didn't, I would still follow him. As a result, I spent less time studying because of the time I was spending with God and, strangely enough, my grades began to go up.  

God wants to be first in our lives. If we do all the work in the world, become rich, have the highest positions, and the most influence but don't have God first, we are failures and we will not find the fulfillment we are looking. But if we put God first, at the cost of a potential career enhancing position, pay raise, or whatever...we will have made the right choice. 

So what about you? Have you sacrificed some aspect of your relationship with God for something else in your life? What is your golden idol? What is keeping you from doing what you know God would have you do or from putting God in the right place in your life?

Make a decision today to put God first and then write it down and tell someone about your decision. Figure out what the first step is and do that...TODAY. The idea of doing this may scare the heck out of you. But it is still the right thing to do. God wants to be first in your life and there can be nothing else before him.

Written By: Jonathan N, April 18, 2016

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