God First?

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:33)

   We live in a generation where everyone seems to put God first. We say it in all of our social network bios. On Sundays, we make sure we give a shout out to Him for waking us up. But besides all of that, how many of us really put God first? Go ahead & ask yourself, "do I really put God first?"

   "God first" is such a cliché. Many people say it, but don't truly mean it. How do I know? Let's just say that the way you live your life shows if God is truly first or not. 

"Jamilya, I do love God, but I'm young. Let me have fun!" 

   I just want to let you know that those so called "fun" things are not worth pushing your Creator out of His place. Our selfish desires are exactly what pushes God to the end of our important list. It's all about what we want & not what He wants. Yea, we know that cursing is a sin, but we're too busy trying to increase our popularity with the "in crowd". We know that God wants us to stop partying & to turn away from worldly music & friendships, but we're too busy trying to please people.

   If God was truly first in our lives, life would be a lot less chaotic. If God was truly first in our lives, there would be a lot less teenage girls getting pregnant. If God was truly first in our lives, a lot of our brothers would not be locked up in juvenile detention centers. If God was truly first in our lives, there would be a lot less worry in this world. For some reason as young people, we feel that if we just acknowledge God a few times of the year then we're okay. That's not true. God desires to be first in your life no matter what your age is.

   One of my favorite scriptures is John 14:15. I use this often, but we need to be reminded of this daily. Jesus says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command". Jesus is basically telling us that if He is first in our lives, then it shouldn't be such a struggle for us to live for Him. Another one is 1 Corinthians 7:34. It says, "an unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body & spirit".

   That scripture right there tells us that as young ladies, we should be focused on Christ & Christ alone. I know that keeping God first can be tough when there is so much going on in your life. School can be very overwhelming. Your parents may be fighting, or another family issue is arising. Through it all, though, we must focus our eyes on Jesus & trust Him with every area in our lives. God wants to make everything alright, but you must seek after Him first. 

   Stop trying to make things work when you have no power to do it. Stop putting that boy ahead of God. Stop putting your school work ahead of God. Stop putting that best friend you've known all your life ahead of God. Stop putting these celebrities ahead of God! Those people don't watch over you daily & they definitely won't die on a cross for your sins!

   We all need to ask God for forgiveness for placing something ahead of Him, including me. I want you to think of that one thing that stops God from being a top priority in your life. Now, I want you to pray & ask God to change your heart. Ask God to change your wants to His. Ask God to break your heart for what breaks His. God desires a sincere relationship with you & you can't have one if He's not your first love. 

Have a blessed day, girls. Remember to keep God FIRST today! 

Love you all.

"I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is my right hand, I will not be shaken." (Psalm 37:4)