This writer asks the Lord for some type of guidance at the end of each year. What has the Spirit of the Lord given as guidance going into 2020?
The Lord of the ministry comes before the ministry of the Lord.
In other words, He comes first. Before everything else. There are things this writer has been impressed with to do in the days, weeks and months ahead and while I was thinking about those things a strong impression was received that the stuff on the to do list (the work I plan to do for Him) is not the most important thing. He is the most important thing. If we pan the camera all the way out to get the biggest picture possible, what is our purpose here on earth? The purpose is to know, love and walk with Him first and foremost. Everything else we do besides that is great but we cannot, must not neglect our focus on Him first. Proof? Sure:
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love.
Only after we do this ^^, can we follow through on this:
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
We must "know" our God, really know Him. This is not a suggestion, it is a command and a dire warning all in one:
1 John 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
Matt 7:21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Our God uses both the carrot and the stick to motivate us, not just one or the other. It was posted previously that the other end of year impression to move forward was the development of our "talents" per Matt 25. Those talents are employed to do part 2 of our work. Part 1 however must not be neglected. But first things must come first. Know, love and obey the Lord our God.
grace and peace
