She Says...

God First, Then All The Rest

If there is anything I have learned over the past couple of years, it is that when we do not put God front and center, life is unfulfilling. This doesn’t mean that we are miserable, or that we hate our lives. In fact, when people ask us how we are, we say, “Fine thanks, and you?” But are we truly happy? Are we living a life that is joyful and beautiful and giving us peace, way down deep in our souls?

As humans, we try to control our own lives, our own circumstances, and tend to keep God as our “shield” or “go-to” in times of trouble – but honestly, how does that ever work out for us? Oh, we aren’t total heathens; we say our prayers, we try to remember to do our best and we thank Him for our food each night. We have our nice little routine with God, and we go about our days. We think things are going along fine and that life is normal, but is it really?

How much are we missing out on because the Lord isn’t our first focus? What do we do when the rug is pulled out from under us, or life balls up its fist and feels like it is knocking our teeth down our throat? We fall apart. We once again, run to God. We beg and plead and pray that He will put His hand on any given situation, and make things better. I can only imagine how tired of this He must get sometimes. I know He wants us to always run to Him, but I also think He wants much more than that from us.

I was thinking about it the other day, and as a parent, I know how I feel when my children contact me. It makes me happy. It makes me feel like I am important in their lives. It makes me feel loved. Needed. Wanted. When I don’t hear from them for long stretches of time, it hurts. I feel like I am not important to them anymore and I crave that relationship with them. As grown adults living in other states, I understand that they have lives of their own, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

God, as our Father, must feel the same way. It must hurt His heart when His own children don’t set aside time to build our relationship with Him. All He wants to do is love us. Show us how important we are, not only to Him, but to this world. He put us here for a reason, and when we are not living the life He has chosen for us, that He wants for us, it must bring Him such disappointment. His love is so GREAT for us, and He only has our best interests at heart. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I’ve been doing some deep searching within myself, and I have been kicking around the idea of taking some Biblical studies courses for a while. You know, the kind with actual professors and such. The thought of taking classes (and the expense as well, I won’t lie) has scared me a bit. Who starts a whole new course of study at the age of 50? Then it hit me; the real question should be, who wouldn’t? We are never too old to learn, and we are certainly never too old to continue our growth and knowledge of the Bible and the ways of God.

Well, I jumped in; I enrolled in my first Biblical Studies class today and I am excited! I may or may not choose to get a degree, but my soul is thirsting for a deeper knowledge, a deeper relationship with the Lord.

I looked into the costs of traditional seminary tuition, and all I can say is…WOW!!! However, after doing some research, I found BiblicalTraining.org. I watched some of their introductory videos to their different classes, and I was impressed. Best of all, their courses are 100% free.

They have classes that cover everything from general studies to family ministry, worship, leadership, and more. They do have an option to delve deeper and pay for diploma and certification classes if you choose, but you don’t have to pay a dime to get started. If this is something you have ever considered doing, check them out. Maybe you will find a topic that interests you as well.

Sorry I’ve been gone so long, but I’ve been kind of in a funk, and any time I sat down to write something, it just wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to. I am feeling better now though, so hopefully we’ll see each other again soon.

Be blessed today, my friends!


(Photo by: Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash)

Published by Tori

Artist ♥ Introvert ♥ Lover Of All Things Vintage ♥ Mrs. Derek :) ♥ Daughter of the One True King †

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