February 1, 2004
Who Do You Love?
February – the month of love, or so Hallmark and Fanny Mae would have
us believe. And like all of you, I like a special time when expressions
of love are given a little more forethought and planning. That is a
good thing for marriages and any other love relationship we are in. And
those relationships are my focus for these thoughts.
Who do you love? Who do you love the most? Remember as little girls
it was SO important to have a “best friend” – and even better to me
called by someone else their “best friend”? Well, the same still applies
today in a spiritual sense.
Without a doubt, my best friend on earth is my husband. I love him
more than anyone else I know. But, at the same time he needs to always be
second in my love and affection for Jesus Christ. For if I ever get
that order skewed, in a heartbeat Den goes from being my best friend to
being my competitor, my slave, my master or any number of other negative
or at least less-than-best partner relationships. As in all things,
anytime I allow Christ to become less than first in my heart in any
relationship or ministry or activity, I am the loser.
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto
you.” This is no idle promise of God. Like all His promises, He says
what He means, and means what He says. When I put Him first in my
attention and affection, all other relationships and activities take on
their proper meaning and priority. There becomes no confusion over what
is most important or what requires my energy and time today; when Christ
is first, the rest slide into place in a seemingly miraculous manner.
But when I take my eyes off of Him – even for a short while – a day, an
hour or even a minute, then Satan is right there to stir up confusion
and frustration.
You know the saying – “the squeaky hinge gets the oil?” Who do you
suppose makes those hinges squeak? We say that when we find ourselves
expending energy on trivial things and leaving important things go
untouched or relegated to “later”. Satan is always at hand to create
confusion and upset the priorities God would have us have.
My challenge for you this month is to consider with care and
forethought your love priorities. Do you love Christ more than all of these? If
you are a bit hesitate to answer that question with a strong “YES”,
then now is the time to commit to “seeking His Kingdom first”. But if you
can honestly say that loving Him first is the desire and focus of your
life, then when those times of frustration over priorities occur,
remember who is making the hinges squeak. Don’t let him win! Put him in
his place and renew your seeking Christ first!
Until next time, love and prayers,
RuthAnn Gleason, the Parson's Wife
ragleason@sbcglobal.net
