What Comes First?

Love you all, praying for you.   
 
I just love God’s Word.  It tells you what needs to come first – so you can get what comes next.  Have you ever noticed in all the things we ask God for, we forget to ask for the thing that brings the thing?   Everyone wants wisdom, not everyone wants to learn the Fear of the LORD – which is the beginning of it.  Everyone wants wealth, honor and life, but not everyone wants the humility and the Fear of the LORD that brings it.  Everyone wants friends that are a positive influence in their life, and will be there for them.  But not everyone wants to show themselves friendly, or be there for someone else, or make the positive word choices, and honorable life choices, that make them the friend that’s the positive influence for others.  Everyone wants faith, but not everyone wants the actions that prove it.  Everyone wants strength, the not everyone wants to count it all joy when you face trials of many kinds.  So the joy of the LORD is your strength.  Everyone wants God to deliver them and save them, but not everyone wants to run to Him first as their refuge, they’d rather take a crack at it themselves for a while.  Everyone wants hope, but not everyone is willing to put their hope in God.  Everyone wants faith, not everyone wants the trials that grow it.  Everyone wants a job, a promotion, or a bigger paycheck, but not everyone wants to develop the diligence those things require.  Everyone wants to find the perfect spouse – who is kind, and considerate, that will make them happy and always put them first.   But not everyone wants to put in the work right now, or be willing to change, so they can become that perfect spouse – for the one they will marry.   Everyone wants God’s blessing, not everyone wants his commands and precepts that enable His blessing to flow.  Praying that you will pray for what you need, that you will know what you really need, because you ask Him.  That you will pray for the thing that brings the thing.  That you will put your trust and your hope fully in Him.  That you will Fear the LORD, Love His Word, be filled with His Spirit and walk in Him daily.  That you would pray without ceasing, praise like He’s worth it, believe like it will surely happen, and rejoice like you have it already.  So you get what you need first, so God can give you what you want… So God can bless you and use you to make His Name great! 
 
Love you all,
dad