Prioritizing . . . a test of integrity

I am rushing out of the door today.  I am late.  Late to the gym.  Late to work.  Late to do the work I have on my plate.  Late to make meals.  Late to pay bills.  Late to mail packages.  Late to do school work. I am simply late. 

I began thinking just how busy I am.  I began to think of just how much I am missing.  I began thinking of how I am having to constantly make decisions as to what I will do and what I won't do.  I began thinking just how important everything seems to be to get done. 

So what do I do . . . I decided to stop and read God's word.  Why?  Because I need balance.  I need direction.  I need to be reminded as what is important, of indeed WHO is important.  I need to get back into right priority.

I open a bible and this is what leaps of the page.

"I know my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity."
1 Chronicles 29:17

Prioritizing was what was on my mind.  God shows me the integrity of my heart as the scale.  Into the context of my life for the day, he interjects a word which puts everything else into focus ' "integrity."

It is an odd place that this verse in the bible is found.  It is found right in the midst of David noting that all that they, the people, had brought to build the temple of God came from God.  Right in the middle of this discourse where he has noted that "Our days are like a shadow, without hope. . . " and where he has acknowledged "O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you." he follows up with

"I know my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity."

You and I are each busy taking all that God has given us to build a temple which is supposed to give glory to God.  One should be able to look at our lives and see the glory of the living God manifest in it.  Thus everything that I do today, everything that I have planned is part of that building process.  Including everything that I expend -- my energy, my resources, my everything -- came from Him to be given back to him.  It is with him that it all starts, is processed, and ends.  The heart of the matter is where He is in all of this.

The test of my heart . . . where is my integrity?

Focus to prioritize starts with focus on Him, His purpose, His direction, His plans for the building process.  Without Him in the center of my heart there is no integrity.  Without Him in the center of this building process there is no integrity.  Without Him in the center my priorities are off.

So, I stop and seek Him.  I center myself around His word.  I thank Him for the provision of the day . . . for the energy I will expend . . . for the time that will be used up . . . for the hope that will be realized . . . I allow Him to take a check of my integrity . . . I lay my life and plans out for the day and trust Him to do what He wants to do, whatever He wants to . . . See HE is God, not I.

You go do it too.

Got Word?

Love yah