June 11, 2024 … The Main Thing…

June 11, 2024 … The Main Thing…      

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...    https://tinyurl.com/3kfmuezr 

…  Please take the time to take in this song with lyrics from Lauren Daigle singing … First … Powerfully singing of how we Christians must make serving God with all our hearts the MAIN THING in our lives.

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Highlight Passage: … Isaiah 22:16  [NLT] … 

16  “Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here, building a beautiful tomb for yourself — a monument high up in the rock? … “            

…  Isaiah called on by God to rebuke a palace administrator for his selfish service rather than making service to God his main priority.                                                                                 

Highlight Passage (in context): … Isaiah 22:15-24  [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 

… God calls the Prophet Isaiah to rebuke a palace administrator, Shebna, for putting his own desires over serving the Lord.                                                                                    

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 16:3 [NLT] …  

3 Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. 

… Solomon’s wisdom - from God - that his servants make their (our) thing as their (our) MAIN THING.  

Reference Passage: … Matthew 6:31-33 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK …  

… Jesus teaches His followers in His sermon on the mountain about putting our service to God’s kingdom FIRST above our own desires.   

Reference Passage: … Romans 8:5 [NLT] … 

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.. 

… Paul warns fellow Christians to set aside our sinful nature and seek to follow God’s Spirit in living our lives.    

Reference Passage: … Galatians 2:20 [NLT] …  

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

… Paul testifies of Christ transforming his desires and actions so as to die to self and to live for Christ.  

Reference Passage: … Colossians 3:1-4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …  

… The Apostle Paul exhorts fellow Christians (all of us) to prioritize heavenly desires over our own, selfish, desires and those of the world.        

My Devotional Journal: Today’s Our Daily Bread Author, Tim Gustafson -  AT THIS LINK  -  relates the a story of how the Irish poet, W.B. Yeats, had a desire to be buried in a certain place which apparently reminded the ODB author today of the biblical story of how God rebuked the Temple Administrator of Isaiah’s day (see the Highlight Passage)) for thinking more about where he would be buried than of His service to God.  

And taking in the linked Lauren Daigle song and searching the Scriptures (see Bible truth above) showed me the truth of an old saying a mentor of mine used to say to me repeatedly… that we Christians must "keep the main thing THE MAIN THING!”  And that, “main thing” of course - once again brought out in God’s word  above - is to put God FIRST in our thoughts, choices, and actions.  

But are we today? …  And will we tomorrow?     

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for convicting me to keep THE MAIN thing in You and for You.      

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I praying today that those who read with me here will join me today to keep Your MAIN THING as our main thing today.        … Amen

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Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.