First let me…

Have you ever said the words "after I get this done then I can focus on that" or "once I reach that then life will calm down and I can focus"? Ever say this to Jesus? "After work slows down I can spend more time on Bible study." "Once I get that promotion I can focus on serving at church." Or any other example where you put God second.

In Mathew there is a story of a man who Jesus called to follow him.

“Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Some scholars interpret the verse that if the man's father had already died then he would have been busy burying him already. So, he must have been referring to putting Jesus on hold until after his father died and was buried- an unknown amount of time. It was like he said ... ah, following you sounds good but on second thought I have other things to take care of first. He said to Jesus you are second, "first let me".

Do these words go past your lips? Excuses and worldly distractions that carry us away in busyness instead of focusing on God. God asks us to follow Him, to put Him first. Instead we should be saying ... first let me spend time with you Jesus.