Give God Your Best Part
 

Give God Your Best Part: Part 1

I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands.
—Psalm 31:14-15

I've trained myself now to start each day by giving God the first fruits of my time. I've realized that I'm not going to get through the day peacefully if I don't spend time with God. So, each morning, I get coffee, and usually while still in my pajamas, I just spend as much time with God as I need to in order to feel I can behave properly and walk in the fruit of the Spirit throughout the day.

I learned to use the best part of my day to give God the best part of my heart. Giving God the first moments of the morning helps keep my priorities straight for the rest of the day. Don't use this gift of time with God to meditate on your problems. During this time with God, set your heart as the psalmist did, who wrote, "But I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands." (Psalm 31:14,15, emphasis mine).

The Bible says to "lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes." (Proverbs 3:5-7)

God wants to hear us say, "Lord, I don't know how You're going to do this. I don't care how You do it. However You do it, I know it's going to be right. I trust all my circumstances to You. My times are in Your hands. Trusting You is my first priority in life."

From the book New Day, New You

Give God Your Best Part 2

For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord God, . . . There will I require your offerings and the firstfruits and the choicest of your contributions, with all your sacred things.
—Ezekiel 20:40

Ezekiel 20:40 says that we should bring the Lord our first fruits, the choicest selections of all our offerings. To stay in perfect peace, we should give God the best of our time and our goods. We must be honest with ourselves about what our priorities really are and start making changes to keep God in first place. Don't give God your leftovers; don't give Him the part of your day when you're worn out and you can't think straight or hardly keep your eyes open. Give God the first fruits of your attention. Give Him the best part of your day. That's where your real priorities will be found.

God needs to be your priority in everything you do. From getting dressed to setting your schedule, you can ask God for wisdom to make choices that will glorify Him. You can intermingle your time with God into everything you do to such a degree that you can pray without ceasing (pray your way through the day). As you become aware of His presence, it will not be possible to compartmentalize God or separate secular activities from sacred ones. Even ordinary events will become sacred because He is involved in them.

Talk to God as you go about your day, asking Him to direct you in the choices you are making and to empower you for the jobs you need to get done. As you acknowledge that God is always with you, you will keep Him first in everything you set out to do, and He will show you a direct path that will lead you to peace. Following the moment-by-moment leading of the Holy Spirit will cause you to enjoy every day of your life.

From the book New Day, New You