Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:30)
“That is one commandment I know I keep,” a woman in my Bible study proclaimed. “I love the Lord my God with all my heart, mind, and soul.” In the next breath, she admitted she wouldn’t be in church on Sunday. A nice soaking rain was expected on Saturday and she had to get her prize-winning bulbs in the ground if they were to bloom in time for the annual neighborhood garden contest, which she wins every year. After all, she told us, she had a reputation to maintain. She couldn’t do it later in the day because her granddaughter had a ball game and she wanted to be in the stands to cheer her on. On Monday she played bridge and volunteered at the senior center. On Tuesday, her Audubon club was taking a field trip.
Like this woman in my Bible study who didn’t realize the dichotomy of her statements, we can fool ourselves into thinking God is the number one priority in our lives. But is He really?
Examine what you are putting ahead of God, then repent.
Julie B. Cosgrove is a widowed Christian author and speaker who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. She is involved with women’s and outreach ministries.
