Reader
Mondays used to feel tough for me. I used to dread Mondays because it felt like the floodgates of tasks and priorities had been flung open and these annoying reminders would start screaming for a place in my head.
I used to feel like I would lose my mind on Mondays. It was such a battle. Until one day, I realized it was a design problem, not a Monday problem. I was not functioning from design.
Man was designed to function from intimacy. The problem is not the responsibility at hand; the problem is the failure to recognize the power at work in you as you seek to execute or steward those responsibilities to the glory of God.
Life gets busy. Responsibilities increase. Families grow. Seasons change. Should that be an excuse for losing sight of the call to seek First the Kingdom and nothing second? Yes, nothing second.
When Jesus told us to seek first, he wasn’t giving us the opportunity to arrange competing priorities side by side with Kingdom pursuit. He wasn’t saying Kingdom seeking can take a percentage of your time while competing with the idols of vain pursuits. No, that’s not it. He was defining priorities. He was showing us the only thing that truly matters, because the other things will only find their place within the context of the FIRST.
In 2017, I shared a blog post titled “dethroning distractions”. I felt like life was spiraling out of control in that season. I had so much to do that it wearied me and nearly stole the joy of living from me.
Until one day, I vowed to live by the blueprints of Heaven. To put God first even in my MIND and function from intimacy.
You can read that entry in my book Thrive. It’s the 19th chapter. But here is a short excerpt:
The meeting started: “Ladies and gentlemen, distractions, legalities, and seemingly important demands of life, the worries of today and anxiety for tomorrow, I greet you all.
The purpose of this village meeting is to put you all in your place. You can no longer sit on the throne of my heart, dominating my thoughts and informing my decisions. Only one King owns that throne, and that King is the Lord.
Henceforth, as I go about my daily activities, I will be conscious of the presence of Jesus. He will be my sole desire, and I will always turn to Him first.
Reader, your work is important, your career is important, parenting is important, marriage is important, your dreams are valid, but pursuing these things without acknowledging your Source and surrendering to the grace He makes available for purposeful living will be equal to folly.
You were not designed to run on your willpower; you were designed to function by the grace God supplies in the secret place. Don’t be too at home in the external world at the expense of nurturing your inner world.
About two years ago, I intentionally added some Bible study and prayer time to my Monday schedule. It became my reset moment. It was also a defiant way of defining what matters to my soul. And it has really shifted my perspective on how I see my Mondays. You don’t have to do that. It’s just one of the intentional ways I have cultivated my heart to function from intimacy.
So take this as your reminder to return to your source. To live from the higher ground of victory, with your heart established in the secret place. Let the Word of God dwell in you richly and strengthen you.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and let the wisdom for the faithful administration of your earthly affairs be added to you.
You were designed to function from the secret place.
Stay with Jesus.
With love and honour,
Mary Oyewunmi
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Recommended Reading
Thrive is a practical book of wisdom written to encourage believers and help them walk in the fullness of God's plans for their lives.
You can get copies in Nigeria or on Amazon. Click the link below for details.
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When pleasing God becomes the greatest priority of our lives, every other thing will fall in place.
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