Put God First

In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.              Proverbs 3:6 TLB

The previous verse says to trust God and don’t depend on what you feel or see. There is a reward when you put God first. Now that is not as easy as it appears because mankind loves to take control. People like to know what they can do and when they can do it, so it’s not easy relinquishing control to God.

David understood the reward of relinquishing control so in Psalm 23:2 he said, “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” You might wonder why he used the analogy of the green meadows and peaceful streams. Well David began Psalm 23 by stating that the Lord is his shepherd. Sheep graze for about seven hours a day. So it is important for sheep to have green meadows. Also, it is said that sheep cannot swim so they would not venture into fast moving water.

David was a shepherd and was aware of the need of his sheep. When he considered the way God provided for him and led him, he compared God’s care for him as that of a shepherd for his sheep. In Psalm 100:3, David said, “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” So the same way a shepherd provides green meadows and peaceful streams because they are essential for the prosperity of the sheep. The same is true for our Lord, the good Shepherd, who if you let Him would lead you along the path and crown your efforts with success.

Thought for Today: When God leads, success follows

Have a blessed day and walk in faith and victory