Above All Else…

In the famed story, Aesop gives us the lesson learned from the Tortoise and the Hare, when the Tortoise said: “Slow but steady progress wins the race.”

There is something certainly relevant about this truth.

The christian life is a marathon not a sprint. There will always be both mountain peaks and deep valleys all along the way. It is not too difficult to show grace, gratitude, and generosity when we are on the pinnacles of life, but when we find ourselves in the chasms these may not be so simple to display. We must always remember that it is always in our times of difficulties that our character is revealed. Our lives are formed and fashioned through crisis.

Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (Mt. 6:33 NLT). This reveals to us the importance of having our mind turned toward Him, our hearts tuned to Him, and our lives in touch with Him day-by-day.

It is imperative that we pour the Word of God into our minds and hearts every day. I would much rather you read a few verses EVERY DAY rather than reading an entire book of the Bible once-a-month.

It is imperative that we pray without ceasing. Too many people think of prayer as a thing we do at a certain time. Pray is not a duty, it is a delight. This comes through an attitude of awareness about the presence of God in our life — all the time.

It is imperative that we persevere in that challenges of life. Difficult times will come, but remember that our faith is always developed through the difficulties rather than the victories.

God desires to make us bigger each day and this always comes as He reveals Himself in us. Don’t let the difficulties of today drag you down, rather allow God to build you up through the. “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps. 118:24 NLT)