2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Jeremiah 3-4 GW; 1 Thessalonians 2 GW
God tests our motives.
We have to decide in life, are we going to please God or people? If God is our choice, we won’t please everyone. People who want us to take vengeance, lie, cheat, and steal won’t like putting God first. But spreading the Good News is a daily task we do with love. Every act of kindness we do for Jesus pleases God.
God knows our hearts. If we care more about what people think, He knows. We may not even realize our motives aren’t pure, but God does. Everyone wants others to like them. We all want to fit in with the crowd.
Zebras are black and white because it helps camouflage them from predators. They travel as a herd, making it difficult for lions to distinguish them apart. But if you put a red mark on one of the zebras, the lion can spot the difference, making the easy animal prey. People are the same as zebras; they don’t want to stand out from the crowd because they’re afraid of the consequences.
Faith requires trust.
Following Jesus means we don’t do what the rest of the crowd is doing. Sometimes, we’ll stand alone in the face of adversity. Jesus had twelve disciples; three were with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter denied Jesus three times at His arrest, afraid of suffering the same fate. When Jesus was on the cross, He was alone.
Someone has to go first. Jesus had to go where we couldn’t so we could enjoy eternal life with Him. Because Jesus suffered alone, we don’t. God is always with us, even on our darkest days. You may feel like you’re on a solo mission, but you aren’t. God created us for community, not isolation.
Put God first. Care about what God thinks of our actions. Don’t worry about what people think. Spread the good news of Jesus with love. Draw people to Christ by making your actions pleasing to God.
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Lord, thank You for giving us, Jesus. Forgive us for caring about what people think than what You think. Help us today put You first. When faced with the decision of who to follow, let us always choose You. Let us spread the good news to everyone we meet, loving them right where they are. IJNIP. Amen
Question for reflection
Who are you putting first, God or others?
