Do Your Homework

7 Practical Ways to put God first in Your Life

Written by Kim Gutierrez

Do you remember the days when you would come home from school and your parents made sure you did your homework first before you played outside? Now-a-days playing outside seems so archaic, like really…walk outside right now do you really see kids playing outside?
Not many!
Well anyways, when I started to think about “Do your homework first” I thought about all the things I’d like to do for the Lord, bible school, memorize more scripture, post more frequent on my blog, and get involved in a critique group and the list goes on. My problem is when to do it, my days seem so full. I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way. How can we possibly squeeze in another thing to our schedules?
My prayers have been “Lord, tell me what I should be doing and when.”
The answer was…”Do your homework first!”
“Oh yeah!” I answered quickly.
I was always pretty good about doing that as a kid, so I should have no problem doing it as an adult right? Wrong! Nowadays we have so many more distractions! We have our cell phones, IM, emailing, texting, facebook, twittering and thousands of tv channels!
I’m going to date myself but when I was a kid we had 12 channels, and a corded phone that barely reached around the kitchen wall enough for me to say “I’ll talk to you tomorrow at school.” and to play outside was a privilege I didn’t want to jeopardize.
So now I’m being asked to go back to when I was a kid and Do my Homework first? What does that mean to me? It means to me that the Lord is saying “do it FIRST!”
I’m taking this as a challenge!
Matthew 6:33 (Amplified Bible)
But seek ([a]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ([b]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [c]taken together will be given you besides.
Challenge?
The challenge is to daily do that what the Lord has called me and you to do FIRST,
then do everything else after!

Now I’m not saying go quit your day job…but here are some examples I can think of:
Let your Instant Message be to God first
Don’t read your emails till you’ve read the bible
Don’t change your status on facebook till you know your status with Him
Don’t follow someone else on twitter, unless you follow Him first!
Wake up earlier if you don’t have time in the day.
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Put aside time at night, instead of watching TV for a couple hours.
Study the word of God for the same amount of time it takes you to put on your makeup

I know that if we seek him first he will be so excited, remember he is a jealous God and He Loves You!
Can you think of anymore ideas that could help someone seek God first?
What do you do, Homework first or Play first and how do you plan on changing that?

You can read more of Kimmy’s thoughts here.

Looking in the Mirror

What does God see when He looks at you?

Written by Yvonne Galindo

Research indicates that 80% women over the age of eighteen who look at themselves in the mirror are unhappy with what they see.When you look in the mirror what do you see?
This is what I saw:
I am a dark Hispanic woman and because of my dark skin growing up I was called the “N” word. My mom would always say “stay out of sun or you’ll get darker”. I also have a pretty unique nose. I was nicked name “Pampa Nose” – didn’t think that word existed but it does. Pampa means ‘plain”. I am far from plain that’s for sure! For years I hated going out in the sun and hated my nose. I basically hated everything about myself. Parents are the prime shapers during the growing period of lives. Growing up, my mother spoke things to me that made me question the way I looked. Looking back, I believe in my heart she in no way meant to harm me. She was naïve to the fact that I was created by the Almighty.
According to His Word in Psalms 139: 13 “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking”!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made! That amazes me! From the time of conception, I was created in the image of His beauty. WOW! We must recognize that schools, churches, society, and our peers also play an important role in our identity. Be wise and surround yourself with those that will encourage, declare and affirm all that God has for you.
Viola Davis from the movie “The Help’ said it best telling this young child “You is kind, You is Smart, You is Important”. All we hear on television and read about in magazines is about self-image. The key is NOT to work on your self-image but to work on your character from the inside – out! There is a song from Hillsong United which one of the verses states Consume me from the inside out, Lord! We as women continually judge ourselves by what we see, how we look, what we wear and fall short. I recently struggled with my weight and went through a rough patch. Well that didn’t last! Why because I know better. I changed my attitude about things. (self-control) When we allow God to invade us with his love, kindness, courage and beauty when we see ourselves in the mirror we will not see what the world says we should be but we will see who God says we ARE!.
Remember working on YOU from the inside out; will manifest externally. 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. God is your Health Spa; he will redeem, restore and rejuvenate. Don’t ever forget that you are “fearfully and wonderfully made your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalms 139: 14
Declare and Affirm
“I like myself”
“I am a positive person and I create a positive life”
“I am a wonderful person of immense value who deserves to be loved”

For More from Yvonne Galindo, please visit her blog.