Keep God Front and Center

‘Do what you want to do, feel the excitement of life to the fullest, but remember to always be true to yourself.’ You’ve probably heard similar expressions or even know people who will only follow their own rules in life.  This kind of mind-set is not new and it’s certainly not new to God.

If ever there was someone born with a proverbial silver spoon in their mouths, it was King Solomon. He is said to be the wisest person ever to have lived, and his wealth was equally vast. As with most wise individuals, Solomon hungered for more wisdom, and made a study of everything to do with pleasures, business, and happiness. In the Old Testament, God’s Word tells us much about Solomon’s views on life, both the joy and the sadness of it. 

Like many of us, he was looking to define the meaningfulness of existence, and sometimes he had a pessimistic view, even finding life to be very empty at times. If we’re honest we’d have to admit that many of us feel this way sometimes ourselves. We take one step forward and something happens to knock us two steps back. A person might start to feel like “What’s the use…I try and try, and still can’t make this thing work.” 

We must keep in mind that King Solomon spent his entire life exploring, experiencing, and analyzing everything the world had to offer. He’d done it all and had studied just about everything that could be studied. He showed us that when you step outside of God’s purpose, and you try to find meaning outside of pleasing Him, you are going to meet with misery at every level. Colossians 2:7(NLT) tells us, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Instead of endeavoring to grow in our relationship with God, many of us look to sink our roots in people, situations, or in our own personal agendas. God commands us to let our roots grow down into Christ. He’s the firm foundation on which we can build a great life. 

Without God, people merely exist, moving from one experience to another. This isn’t what God wants. He wants us to have a rich and satisfying life, and He tells us in His Word to start out laying the foundation in our youth. His wisdom to young people is spoken through Solomon in Ecclesiastes 12:1,6(NLT). It tells us, “1 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore. 6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.” It was prevalent in Solomon’s day, thousands of years ago, for young folks to party and live frivolously, doing whatever pleasured them. They had no thought of how this would impact their lives as they grew older. This attitude and behavior is just as prevalent today. 

After spending their youth under the influence of the devil, I know several men and women who waited and came to the Lord when the vigor and flexibility of their youth had faded. They could have done so much for the Kingdom, but chose not to, and now decide to give the scraps that life has left them in service to God. He deserves so much better, and we should always strive to give Him our absolute best. If only the people who waited had realized this in their early years, they would have discovered that with God, we can enjoy every moment of life. He makes it possible for us to have fulfilling relationships and a meaningful existence, but we must have a heart to honor and please Him. We must keep Him first in all things. 

In Ecclesiastes 12:13-14(NLT), Solomon writes, “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” We must keep God at the front and center of everything. Obedience to Him is non-negotiable, and He will always reward us for our commitment to walk in the example of Christ. If you don’t know the Word of God as well as you should, and you want a closer relationship with Him, know that He wants the same thing. Now is the time to get your heart and mind rooted in Him through the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will help you every step of the way. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Keep God Front and Center”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.