Putting Jesus First

Posted on June 16, 2023 by

25 Comments

I’m a librarian at heart. I worked at the public library when I was in high school and I worked at the university library when I was in college.

When I went to college, I picked a school that had Library Science as an offered major. However, when I began my college courses, I was told that my university wasn’t accredited in Library Science, so I shouldn’t bother choosing that major. I don’t know if it mattered, but I took the person’s word for it. And I can’t even remember who told me that now.

It took me a while to pick a new major, but I did. I was able to go through some general education courses first. All majors required general education classes, so I wasn’t wasting time. One of the classes I took taught me computer skills. I enjoyed it so much and found a new major. I majored in Business with a concentration in Management Information Systems.

But I remember the struggle to find a new major. Should I major in math and become a teacher? Should I major in English and become a writer?

Back then I hated making decisions. I thought if I made the wrong decision it would be the end of the world. A couple of decades later, I have improved in that area. I’m thankful for that.

Perhaps part of it is that I am closer to God than I was back then. From what I can remember, I didn’t pray or read my Bible much at that time. I regret not finding a church to go to when I was in college. I do remember going to one Catholic mass with a friend who was Catholic. But that was it. In four years I can only recall that one service. Although when I went home for break, I probably went to church then. And I do recall going to my roommate’s church when I went home with her on occasional weekends.

(If anyone of college age or their parents are reading this, my number one tip is to find a church in your college town right away. And make going to church a priority.)

There are things I would do differently, if I could go back in time. And I am sure many of us would say the same about different seasons of our lives. In hindsight we see things differently. But reflecting on all of this has taught me the power found in putting the Lord first.

When we make decisions, such as which college to go to, or which major to pick – they seem like a big deal. We think it will be detrimental if we choose the wrong path. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the end of the world. Yes, it is important to stay close to God and seek His guidance. However, God is with us through it all. And no matter which road we go down, He will be beside us and guide us. We can find contentment in many paths. If we decide we made the wrong decision, we can always turn around. As I mentioned last week, each phase of our lives is like a stepping stone towards our future. And God will pull everything together and make something beautiful out of the pieces of our lives.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28 NLT

And sometimes we think we know what’s best, but we don’t. God can see the full picture. He sees the beginning and the end. He always knows what’s best. (I’m reminded of the old TV show called “Father Knows Best.” 😁)

So we trust God with each step. Place it all in His hands. Too often we tend to take on the weight of things that we weren’t meant to carry.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Ultimately, Jesus needs to be in the center of our lives. When we keep Jesus first place in our hearts, it transforms every aspect of our lives. We don’t have to worry because following Jesus is always the right path.

We can make major decisions without fretting because we bring them to the Lord in prayer and seek His guidance. We will have better relationships because we approach them with the love of the Lord. We will work harder at our jobs because regardless of who our paycheck comes from, we are working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24).

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV

Each day we makes the decision to put Jesus first. And that changes everything.

No matter where we are now, we can always choose to seek the Lord with all of our hearts. Whether we are near or far, we can turn towards Him. We can put Him in the center of our lives. When we do, we will be amazed at the peace we have. We know we are with our Shepherd and He is guiding us, protecting us, and providing for us.

Thank you for reading! I hope you have a blessed weekend!

Photo taken Tuesday, June 13, 2023

© 2018-2023 Bridget A. Thomas

Category: Seeking God

25 Comments on “Putting Jesus First”

  1. As a Christ follower and supporter who is currently enjoying his third career, I wholeheartedly agree! I have a note on my phone called “Success from Scratch “ that documents all the things God has brought me through. From the most difficult trials, to the sweetest successes, the Lord has never left me. One of my favorite scriptures says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Sorry, I don’t recall the address—at the moment. ☺️ I enjoyed this post Bridget. God’s best to you!

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    • I looked it up – Psalm 56:3. Thank you for that. I love it. And I love your “Success from Scratch” note. What a great way to show gratitude for all that God has done in your life. Thank you, David. Your comment brightened my morning. Blessings to you! 🤗

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    • Thank you, brother. I’m so glad to know this was encouraging. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. God used your comment to encourage me in return! 😊 God bless you too! 🙏

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  3. I appreciate this perspective, Bridget! Love the Lord with all our heart and we can find contentment and peace on whatever meandering path we may take.

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  4. God is with us every step of the way through every decision and what you said is so true we feel those decisions are so weighty and we feel fear about making the right decision, but he sees the big picture and we are to trust. Same as you Bridget, I have learnt to trust in him through decisions. And he indeed works things out for our good. Hindsight is always 20/20 and we see his hand through every situation in our lives and I often reflect on that and it helps me place things in my present at his feet knowing he will carry me through.
    Blessings to you my friend. This was very encouraging 💙💐

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    • “we see his hand through every situation in our lives and I often reflect on that and it helps me place things in my present at his feet knowing he will carry me through.” I love that, Manu. Looking back on how God has been there for us really does help us to have gratitude for Him and to also trust Him with everything we face. It makes me sad to think about the people out there who live without God in their lives. But I am so glad we don’t have to! Thank you for sharing your insight. You always give me more to reflect on. Blessings to you too, my friend! 🤍🤗

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  5. Your post reminds me of a book I read a few years ago (can’t remember the name) but the author commented that sometimes we may be presented with two big choices and both are good and fine to choose from but we stress and fret over which one is the best and really God is ultimately fine with either and will be with us no matter which we go with. He just simply wants us to include Him through prayer and bring Him glory meanwhile. Lessons and growth will happen nevertheless.
    That truth has helped me so much in not making such a fuss when determining which choice to go with—it doesn’t need to be a long drawn out wondering process, it just needs God first (like you wrote) and Him glorified!!

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    • I thought about you when I wrote this because I believe I remember you mentioning that before. Funny how something you read in a book has stuck with me too! But unfortunately I don’t always keep that in mind when a decision comes my way. So I aim to be better at that. Life can be so stressful just when it comes to decisions alone. But I also think the enemy uses anything he can to get in our heads and make us fret. So thank you for reminding me of that once again, Alicia! I especially like your point about glorifying God through it all. Great reminder that our lives are all about Him! Thank you, my friend! I always love hearing from you. Have a blessed weekend 🙏🤍🙌

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      • That’s funny that I wrote about that before🤪Guess it’s just stuck with me! I heard at a homeschool conference I went to that we’re presented with over 35,000 choices in one day!!!!😳no wonder decisions are overwhelming! You’re so right about the enemy attacking our minds and making us fret. Drawing closer to God makes all the difference.
        Have a wonderful weekend, it’s always good to read your posts and comments too!❤️❤️❤️

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      • Wow, 35,000. That’s overwhelming. But you are absolutely right- drawing closer to God really does make all the difference. I’m so thankful for Him and how He is always there for us 🙌 Thank you, friend! I hope you have a wonderful weekend too ♥️♥️

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  6. I love the library too! I remember when we lived in Michigan, on some of those cold snowy days, my daughter and I would sometimes spend the whole day at the library lol. Thanks for the encouraging word about making decisions and trusting God to direct us. I’ve often found myself taking too long to make decisions because of fear of making the wrong decision. Or even after making the decision, I still wondered if I did the right thing. Enjoy your weekend too, Bridget. 🤗

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    • Oooh Spending a whole day at the library sounds fabulous! I know what you mean. I have done that too (after making a decision, wondered if it was the right thing). And I remember one particular time a couple of years ago when I fretted that the wrong decision was made. Then I finally told myself, “you prayed about it before hand, so you have to trust that it was the right path.” Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Dawn! God bless! 🤍🤗

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  7. In my younger years I struggled at times so much with making the “right” decision that I would end up making no decision at all and rely on someone else telling me what to do. Not a healthy way to be, and thankfully the Lord brought me out of that as I grew in my Christian walk. These days I know that as long as I’m following the Way, He directs my steps and no decision has to be “perfect” in order for me to still be in God’s will. Great post Bridget.

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    • I can definitely relate to your younger self! I’m so thankful the Lord has helped us both grow in that area. And I agree that as long as we are following Jesus, we are on the right path. What a relief! And a blessing to have the Holy Spirit guiding us. Thank you, Jo, for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  8. Romans 8:28 God causes all things to work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes includes our past missteps 🙂

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  9. Wise words here, Bridget! Am currently reading Lysa Teurkhurst’s devotional book, Embraced. She too makes the point that “sometimes God gives us two or more choices that would all please Him and be in His will. We get to choose.” For those of us who were taught (or did we surmise?) that God has one best choice for all our decisions, this is wonderfully reassuring! On another page Lysa says: “If your heart and your mind are aligned in the direction of God, you don’t have to agonize to the point of paralysis over the decisions before you.” I wish I’d been exposed to your wisdom, Bridget, and Lysa’s decades ago!

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    • Nancy, thanks so much for sharing that. Such inspiring words. I can’t claim to be perfect in this area. In all of my blogging, I am preaching to myself too. I think the enemy will do whatever he can to steal our peace, including making decisions. Thank you so much for the encouragement. God bless you, friend.

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