God First

But seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6: 33

God tested Abraham by telling him to take Isaac his only son, whom he loved, to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. They travelled to Mount Moriah and, just as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, an angel of the Lord stopped him. Here God was testing Abraham’s level of obedience, testing his faith. God’s Covenant with Abraham stated that He would guide him into the promised land; Abraham would be blessed and become the father of many nations. (Genesis 22)

The promises of God are of no value to us until through obedience, we come to understand the nature of God. We may read some things in the Bible every day for a year and they may mean nothing to us. Then because we have been obedient to God in some small detail, we suddenly see what God means and His nature is instantly opened up to us.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

God tests and refines us through difficult circumstances in order to strengthen our character and deepen our commitment to Him. Obeying God is often a struggle. Yet when we give to God what He asks, He returns to us far more than we could dream.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ; and so through Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the Glory of God.

2 Corinthians 1:20

Father, we are living through challenging times.
We thank you for this new day.
Help us first to come into your presence
in order to seek wisdom and strength
before going into the world.

Amen