Psalm 27:4 (NIV): One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
Unless a person intentionally puts God at the top of the list of things they want, unless He is the one thing they desire, He will ultimately end up at the bottom of their list, crowded out by all the things of this world that so loudly clamor for their attention. Unless a person determines that God’s agenda will be the one that they apply themselves to, everything else will come first, and will leave them with no time, strength, or resources to put into what He has called them to. To be a true Christian, a true follower of Jesus takes 100% of a person’s life. It is not membership in a club or organization that you can fit in around work or home life, skipping a meeting if something urgent comes up. When a person signs up to be a follower of Jesus, they must follow Him 100% of the time, no matter what else they might be doing. When they are at work, they are working in that place as a follower of Jesus, a representative of God and His kingdom. When they are at home, they live with, and play with their family members as a follower of Jesus, a representative of God and His kingdom. When they are on vacation, wherever they go, they go as a follower of Jesus, a representative of God and His kingdom. But if the desire to do that does not come from a place of wanting to live with God 24/7/365 from now on and forever, a desire that is so strong that it captures and overwhelms all other desires, they will fail. Their faith will become and add-on, an “elective” in an already crowded life, and their souls will shrivel and die from lack of a constant connection to the vine.
Father, I do hunger to do Your will every minute. Help me to keep that desire intense, and to help others to fan their own desires into white heat, so that we can follow You and live Your life everywhere we go. Amen.