Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need lest you be filled with it and vomit. Proverbs 25:16

 One of my favorite foods is honey. I love the taste of it on a spoon, in my coffee, on cereal, on ice cream, and even mixed with peanut butter. Besides the taste, it brings back childhood memories when I first started eating this sweetness and ever since have been in search of it everywhere I go. Being a diabetic I have to watch my intake of honey, because it will make my sugar shoot up, then I have to bring it down with insulin injections (which is no fun).

 Today’s verse pretty much sums up the old saying “too much of a good thing is not good for you”. Like me, you probably find yourself indulged in something you enjoy, such as: iced coffee, money, friendships, electronic devices, books, certain foods, well you get the point. When you invest more of yourself in your likes (or loves) then other things become less important and have very little interest. In other words, things and people get left out. Life is full of opportunities for pleasure, success, and even stardom. The one danger in it all is, do you put these things and people before your love of God?

 Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

 Years ago, God convicted me of this very issue. When the paycheck hit my bank account, I was quick to pay the monthly payments on the things I liked, but shorted changed God with my tithe to the church. While paying bills one day, the reality of my mis-directed priorities came to light and I realized I wasn’t putting God first. From that day on, I steadily increased my tithe and God continued to pour out blessings, meeting my financial needs. After years of paying off debt, I’m debt free today and able to tithe as I should and even give to charities to advance God’s gospel. And God continues to bless me because I’ve put Him first in my life.

 Friend, God doesn’t mind you having “things”. But He wants to be first place in your life. That involves living an obedient life, praying daily, and studying His word. Once you realize how important it is to put Him first, everything else will still be important, but God will bless your pursuits even further than you could imagine. Take a few minutes today to determine where God stands with your priorities and make sure He’s first. God bless!