But first...

He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.…

 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family...(Lu. 9:59-61 NIV)

 

One of Jesus’ main missions here on earth was to preach the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven.  He was inviting ordinary people to follow him and in return experience God’s supernatural presence in their lives.  

However, there was only one requirement.  In order to experience his transforming power, his kingdom had to take first place in their lives, LITERALLY.  

The first individual in the above selection requested to take leave and care for his aging father.  While the second simply asked to say farewell to his family.  Notice how insignificant the second request was. It didn’t matter how grand or ridiculously small the task was.  It wasn’t to take first place.

When I first made the decision to spend consistent devotional time in the word, I too, struggled to overcome my set of “but firsts”.  Some seemed significant at the moment while others didn’t. 

At the time my husband and I were both working parents.  My mornings were everything but calm and collected.  Sadly, devotions were simply put off for the weekend or the off days.     

And then the days I did make the effort, the insignificant emerged…

But first let me go for a coffee run.

But first let me tidy up the home a little. 

But first let me get the laundry going. 

And so on.

One insignificant task somehow always led to another.

Because I was so inconsistent, there was really no fruit in my labor.  It wasn’t until I made seeking his Kingdom my daily objective (consistently), that it slowly began to transform my life.

But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom…(Matt. 6:33 Am)

 

 

" Reading God’s word is a duty the same way taking a drink of water in the desert is a duty. It is a job the same way eating breakfast is a job. It is laborious the same way running to meet your loving Father is laborious. It is tedious the same way receiving an inheritance is tedious. Dear fellow moms, you can read the Bible, but even more than that, you get to read it. Lay aside any and all reasons that are keeping you from it, and let God awaken your hunger for him as you listen to him in his word. " 

-Abigail Dodds

Dodds, A. (2022, June 30). Young Mom, You Can Read the Bible. Desiring God. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/young-mom-you-can-read-the-bible