January 11 - Simplify Your Life "Spiritually"

Most people don’t grasp the fact that spirituality is not supposed to be very complicated. Many get hung-up on doing it the exact right way when all God wants is for us to put Him first. To learn how to do this, there are several different areas of our lives where we can choose to put God first. At the beginning of each day, we can commit to putting God first by praying and studying His Word. We can choose to put Him first at the beginning of each week by attending church and worshiping God with other believers. Our finances can help us make God our top priority if we commit to tithe faithfully. We can also choose to put Him first in our relationships by committing each one to God and allowing Him to accomplish His will through them. Finally, we can commit our energy to Him by keeping our priorities focused on the things God values and spending our energy on those things first. Through keeping God the center of our lives, day by day and week by week, we can learn how to keep our spirituality focused and simple.

1. Which of the things mentioned above do you find hardest to commit to God? Why do you think this area is particularly hard to surrender?
2. From work to chores around the house to social obligations, it often seems like time is the most precious commodity of them all. Why do you think God makes spending time with Him and other believers an important part of simplifying our spiritual lives?
3. The start of a new year is always a good time to reflect on what you have learned in the past twelve months. Think back to this time last year: What do you know about God starting this year that you didn't in January 2008? How can that serve as motivation to put God first in 2009?