Give God 1st Place
We were given a rather fun game at Christmas. The players each have a selection of smooth shiny playing pieces that are strongly magnetic. The object of the game is to take turns placing your piece in a circle of string in a way that doesn't make them attract the other magnets in the circle. The more magnets that are in the circle, the closer they are to each other until suddenly the magnetic force causes a whole group of them to suddenly connect together, and the player has to take them all.
Applied to today's theme of 'giving God first place', I find that (as with the magnet) the closer I draw to God, the more strongly attracted to Him I am. The shorter the distance, the stronger the pull.
But when other things get in the way, He seems more remote and my hunger for Him decreases. I lose sight of how loving and faithful and good He is. What a relief it is to know that the Holy Spirit is constantly seeking connection with me.
How do I get back to that place of being irresistibly drawn to Him?
It begins with the first step. 'Come near to God and he will come near to you'. (James 4:8 NIV) Each step that I take towards Him increases my awareness of Him, my longing for more of Him. Each time I choose to open His Word, to direct my thoughts towards Him in worship and prayer and trust, to simply sit in His presence and discover the adventure of hearing His voice, I find that His attractiveness increases. I find myself wanting to please Him, and becoming more like Him, and I find that He really does have first place. First place in my time, my speech, my responses, my relationships, my finances, my priorities. As with those magnetic pieces in the game, He is irresistible. Nothing else competes, nothing else satisfies.
When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8 NKJV)
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:18 NIV)
Prayer:
Lord, during this season of increased focus on You, please heighten my hunger for You. Increase my love for Your Word, help me to understand that you delight in my presence more than I realise. Let everything else fade away until you are #1 in my life.