For Me to Live is ___________

This past Sunday our pastor preached a sermon that God knew I needed to hear. It came straight from Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (NIV)

It is one of those sermons that really gets you where you live. Christ wants us to live all out for Him. Our main focus should not be on our spouse, our children, our job, our finances, our parents, or our friends. Our main focus should be on Christ. Christ deserves to be #1 in our lives. Our spouse should come 2nd, and everything else falls in line behind that.

As I've spent the week thinking about the sermon and praying about it, I've had to take a hard look at my priorities. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christ. He is amazing, wonderful, and so very good to me. Yet, is He my number 1 focus? Can I, like Paul, boast "for me to live is Christ?"

Sadly, I don't think that I can. Lately my focus has been: finding a job, my husband, and then Christ. Christ has been given 3rd place in my life, and that is just not right.

So, I've had to confess this sin and ask the Lord to help me regain true sight, so that I focus on Him first. Finding a job and being with D are both very important. But, they are not going to effect my eternity. My relationship with the Lord will. I want to be a "good and faithful servant" of the Lord. I do want to be a good wife because I am head over heels in love with D, and when God gives us children I want to be a great mother, but all that will come if I keep Christ as #1.

I want to be able to say "For me to live is Christ". Regaining my relationship with Christ will not happen automatically. There will be days when I HAVE to read the Bible and won't necessarily feel like it. I will have to sit myself down and pray and meditate. But, it is the best thing I can ever do. By living for Christ I live for my family and friends as well.

Can you boast, "For me to live Christ?"

-JP-