Topic:  FIRST THINGS FIRST– By Dr. Jeff Schreve  – From His Heart 27 AUGUST  2024

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FIRST THINGS FIRST

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33

Do you ever struggle with priorities? Do you let the things in life that really aren’t very important crowd out the things in life that really are very important?

It is interesting to me that when people are on their death bed, they never talk about how they wished they had worked harder, made more sales calls, closed more business deals, climbed higher on the ladder of success. No. What they talk about is relationships. They wish they had lived more for the Lord. they wished they had spent more time with their family and friends.

A SUCCESS OR A FAILURE?

Years ago, I ran across this true story of a “successful” father who lost sight of what was really important.

A young man was to be sentenced to the penitentiary. The judge had known him from childhood, for he was well acquainted with his father–a famous legal scholar and the author of an exhaustive study entitled, “The Law of Trusts.” “Do you remember your father?” asked the magistrate. “I remember him well, your honor,” came the reply. Then trying to probe the offender’s conscience, the judge said, “As you are about to be sentenced and as you think of your wonderful dad, what do you remember most clearly about him?” There was a pause. Then the judge received an answer he had not expected. “I remember when I went to him for advice. He looked up at me from the book he was writing and said, ‘Run along, boy; I’m busy!’ When I went to him for companionship, he turned me away, saying, ‘Run along, son; this book must be finished!’ Your honor, you remember him as a great lawyer. I remember him as a lost friend.” The magistrate muttered to himself, “Alas! Finished the book, but lost the boy!”

REWRITING YOUR STORY

Be totally honest: are you falling into the same trap of that “successful” lawyer dad? Are you trading the eternal things, the things that really matter, for the temporal things that are destined for the ash heap? The time is now to take a sober inventory of the direction of your life. What do you see? Does the picture need some work?

It is not too late to turn things around! Start first by seeking the Lord and His will for your life. Then focus you thoughts and attention on family and friends. Life is more than just deadlines, “to do” lists, work, work and more work. Life is meant to be savored and enjoyed. God wants to use your life today to bless others, starting with your own family. Take time for God, time for worship, prayer, and Bible study, and time for those special people He has put into your life. May it never be metaphorically said of you that you “finished the book but lost the boy.”

Love,

Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries

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