I have set the lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

We live in a day where anything and everything is being set before us by ourselves, others, and even things. These objects and people strive to gain our attention and affection. They want to be it. They want to be the reason for our existance, even if it is for a day or two. They promise us some sort of happiness and fullfillment that may or may not ever be achieved or met. These things and people become our end-all, and in the end they will end it all if we allow them. John Piper has said that sometimes God’s gifts to us can become His greatest adversaries. We put His gifts before us and worship them by the way we treat them and place them in our hearts. He is to be the center of our affections, He is to be the end-all of our desires. His gifts are to point us to Him. His gifts are to tell us, “you like me, well look at my maker”. Sometimes these things before us are not so much of gifts but thoughts, aspirations and dreams. These things should also ask us where God and His glory fits into it all.
In the end when God shakes our lives with His holy embrace we don’t want worthless things and lesser gods falling out our our pockets, we want reminders of Him to fall all around as we too fall and worship.

Place God before you in all things, and in all of your life. Let Jesus be the filter of what can remain before you, what points to Him. Be aggresive with your affections, with your loves, keep them in check.

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