April 20, 2024

First

September 25, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart
Before I lift my cares
I will lift my arms
I wanna know You
I wanna find You
In every season
In every moment
Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart

And seek You
First
I wanna seek You
I wanna seek You
First
I wanna keep You
I wanna keep You
First
More than anything I want
I want You
First

Before I speak a word
Let me hear Your voice
And in the midst of pain
Let me feel Your joy
Ooh, I wanna know You
I wanna find You
In every season
In every moment
Before I speak a word
I will bring my heart

You are my treasure and my reward
Let nothing ever come before
You are my treasure and my reward
Let nothing ever come before
I seek You
First

Lauren Daigle

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First.  You know this is one of the most taught-on subjects in the church.  It is something we’ve heard said—and have said ourselves—all of our lives.  But for some reason it is one of the most difficult things to do.

Seek God first.  

We get our coffee first….we scan facebook first…watch the news first…pour our heart out to a friend first—all before seeking God.  I am very guilty of this.  I make excuses saying that I have no time, no energy, I can take care of it myself….  But the One I need to be putting first is often an afterthought when the situation or circumstance becomes too big or when the pain is too strong.  The sweet, simple words of this song remind us that before everything we put Him first.

“In every season, in every moment…” Ladies, this week let us make an intentional effort to put God first.  Let us seek Him in every season and every moment.  Let Him be our first line of defense.

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Let’s pray: Lord, how refreshing it is to know that You are our ‘first’.  Before we have to worry about what to say or how to say it…before we worry about what we’re going to do…You are always here for us to look to for guidance. Lord, please forgive us if we have neglected this.  Forgive us for looking to ourselves rather than to You.  Thank You for still remaining.  Lord, we will seek You first!  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Nothing Compares

November 16, 2014 by

I’ve heard all the stories
I’ve seen all the signs
Witnessed all the glory
Tasted all that’s fine

Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Lord
Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Lord

I see all the people
Wasting all their time
Building up their riches
For a life that’s fine

I find myself just living for today
‘Cause I don’t know what
Tomorrow’s gonna bring
So no matter if I rise or fall
I’ll never be alone, oh no

Singer/Songwriters:   Johnny Mac Powell, Bradley B. C. Avery, Mark D. Lee, David Carr, Samuel Tai Anderson  ~ Third Day

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As I listen to this song, I’m taken into His Word, in the Book of Psalms, chapter 40, verse 5:

Many, Lord my God, are the wonders You have done,
the things You planned for us. None can compare with You;
were I to speak and tell of Your deeds, they would be too many to declare.

Have you ever sat and just thought about all the Lord has done for you?  From the day you were born, and really before, He made plans for your life.  Full of blessings and hope for great things.  And look in the Bible, way before our time, how many times He saved His people from destruction.  And then there’s the most amazing gift that He gave us—Jesus.  And so many blessings in between.  I encourage you to read the Old Testament and just see all the ways He loved and all the ways He cared.

As the song says, I, too, have heard all the stories. I have witnessed miracle after miracle in my own life and the lives of others.  I have been blessed with food to eat,  shelter, clothing and so much more.  But without Him…none of those things matter. Knowing God and having a relationship with Him is all that is important.

We are on this earth such a short time in comparison with how long we will live with Him in eternity.  This is our temporary home.  Let me ask you a question: When you go on a trip to the beach or the mountains and you have rented a condo, do you unpack your stuff and maybe put them in the drawers (depending on how long you are planning on staying.)?  Do you use their plates and cups, and you sleep on the beds that are provided?  Even if the decor isn’t what you would have picked, you accept it. You don’t go to target and get new curtains and towels that match your taste, do you? You don’t take down the drapes and replace them with something more ‘you’, do you?  and you definitely don’t go out and buy new paint colors.  Why?  Because it is temporary!  You won’t live there permanently.

Friends, we won’t live here permanently either. Your real home is in Heaven with Jesus.  So yes, we do live in this world, but our focus should be on the things of Heaven—leading others to Him, giving to the needy, nurturing the children, and guiding them in the ways of  Jesus.

You can’t take your boats and planes and not even your savings account to Heaven. I’m not saying those things are wrong.  And, of course, you need money to live, but take your focus off of worldly possessions and look to Him to fulfill you.  He is all you need.  Things come and go.  Houses get foreclosed on and cars break down.  But God loves you…and He is forever!

Friends, we are only guaranteed this moment.  We have no idea what tomorrow holds.  So please, I encourage you to put Him first!  If you have strayed, run home to Him. He is waiting and will never turn you away!  And remember, in Him, you will never be alone!

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever.
Isaiah 40:8

And the Lord will be King over all the earth.
On that day there will be one Lord—His name alone will be worshipped.
Zechariah 14:9

Oh!  What a day that will be!  But until then, seek Him, praise Him, give Him thanks for all He has done and will do in your lives and spread His love to the world.  Nothing will ever bring you more joy!

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Let us pray…

Dear Lord, You are awesome and amazing.  You love us so much, even when we don’t love ourselves.  Even when we continue to place other things above You, You are patient and continue to bless us.  Open our eyes to those around us that need You.   Give us the courage to step out in Your name, and to lay up our treasure in Heaven with You.  Oh Lord, You are all that matters, You alone fulfill our every need.  Help us to live in today and to have our affairs in order, so that, when You do come and the trumpet sounds, we will be ready!  Thank You for being FOR us.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

 

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Faithfulness

January 30, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
Your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is Your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They feast on the abundance of Your house;
You give them drink from Your river of delights.
For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.
Continue Your love to those who know You,
Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Psalms 36:5-10

Our God loves us in such a powerful and wonderful way.  From the beginning of time He has desired to have an intimate relationship with all that dwell here.  As the psalmist says, “His love reaches to the heavens.”  I wonder, could ours reach that far?

A friend of mine and her husband were awaiting genetic testing results for a disease his mother and aunt have. The period of waiting was beginning to take its toll on each of them. What with their already demanding work (they are both in the medical field), and raising a 12 year old daughter, they have their share of commitments. Finally the results came in—he had no indicators of the disease and all of the symptoms of the disease left hm.  I know some of you are thinking, “If he was/is a believer, then why was he worrying.”  It is mainly because he does/did not have a close relationship with God.  He could have focused on the positive outcome, rather than the negative which would have allowed them both to have truly “lived” this past year.

As our lives continue and we are faced with new challenges and concerns, we need to remember to keep God first in our thoughts.  It is a learned thought process, one that is cultivated, and should be encouraged in others.  Our God delights in us when we truly seek Him and want to know Him.

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Father,  thank You for Your provisions for us Your children. We want to be jealous for You, we want to know You more fully as we begin this new year.  Show us places where we can improve and where we can be brave enough to share our hearts with You. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,