It's Not Easy - Making God a Priority

It’s not easy – following God’s plan for your life.  We live in a very busy world that offers countless distractions.  If we’re not careful, we can quickly allow these distractions to rule our lives and our marriage relationships.

Although we live in the most advanced age ever with technical gadgets and toys to satisfy our every whim and make our lives simpler, life has only become busier, more complicated, and more influenced by the world.  All of this can easily divert us from our dedication to God.

How many times have you told God that you are going to make it a habit to talk to Him every day and read His word?  You have every intention of digging deeper into His spiritual realm and becoming the true Christian He desires you to be.  You want “more”.  You want to know all of that almighty power that is available to you.  You want to experience God as you hear others claim to experience Him.

Something always seems to get in the way, though.  It may be as innocent as a sick child or an exciting project at work.  Maybe unexpected company shows up and intrudes on the routine you had begun to develop.  Much like “sticking to a diet”, it’s difficult to establish quality time with God.  He needs to become a priority and habit that you refuse to break before He’ll reveal His plan for you. 

                                                                                                                                   

As I read about my favorite Bible character, Paul, I long for the simplicity of his life.  Yes, he faced crippling hardships I’m grateful I haven’t known, but he was able to devote every moment of his life to God’s plan for him.  That is why he said it is better for a man not to marry.  Paul got rid of every distraction in his life that might interfere with God’s plan.

Sometimes, a marriage relationship, good or bad, can become a hindrance to a relationship with God.  Or is it the other way around for you?  Maybe your lack of a relationship with God is hindering your marriage, causing it to crumble.  Whatever the condition of your walk with God or in your marriage, it may be time to slow down and look at your priorities.

James 1:22-24 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

These verses tell us that we must act on the word of God, not just listen to it.  Too many Christians feel a false sense of security in going to church every Sunday, believing that hearing a sermon and worshipping God for a few hours is sufficient for their Christian walk.  You can’t know the word and apply it to your life in only a few hours on Sunday morning.  You need to study it every day and do what it says regardless of how foreign it may feel to the ways of the world you’re familiar with.

 

James 1:25 – “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”

God will bless you and your marriage for spending time with Him and for knowing His word and acting on it.  We find freedom in His law and a wonderful code to live by.  Make spending time with God a habit for you, a priority that you will soon discover affects every other area of your life.  You will quickly see how lost you’ve been without His daily influence in your life.

A healthy relationship with God and with your spouse goes hand in hand.  When your relationship with God becomes aligned correctly, you will notice wonderful changes in your marriage.

God can’t share the marvelous plan He has for you and your marriage until you make Him a priority in your life.