Put God First!

My mother passed away in 1998. Her name was Helen (Petry) Wilmerton. I just came across some of the handwritten notes she left behind. The following was written out on five pages of paper taken from of a very small notepad. Because of their size, they could have been easily tossed away but I believe the words were preserved for a special reason and feel compelled to share them here. I hope they are a blessing to someone.

"Oh, how important to give God the first day of each week, the first hour of each day, and the first part of every dollar, and to put Him first in our habits and in our homes. All this is not only important but worthwhile for herein lies God's secret of success.

"The giant of God, Robert McCheyne said, 'If we agree that prayer is our noblest and most fruitful employment, we likewise should give God the best part of the day. If prayer means any less than this to us, we might as well not pray at all.'

"Charles H. Spurgeon said of morning devotions, 'It should be our rule never to see the face of men before first seeing the face of God. The morning watch anchors the soul so that it will not very readily drift far away from God during the day. The morning is the gate of the day and it should be well guarded with prayer. He who rushes from his bed to his business without first pending time with God is as foolish as though he had not washed or dressed and as unwise as one dashing to battle without arms or armor.

"'Remember, the man of prayer is the man of power. The price of power is prayer. The secret of power is prayer. Prayer is power.'

"E. M. Bounds, in his wonderful little book 'Power Through Prayer' states: 'We might go through the list of men who have mightily impressed the world for God and we would find them early after God. A desire for God which cannot break the chains of sleep is a weak thing and will do but little good.

"'Our laziness after God is our crying sin. The children of this world are far wiser than we. They are at it early and late. We do not seek God with ardor and diligence. No man gets God who does not follow hard after Him and no soul follows hard after God who is not after Him in early morn.

"'Spiritual work is taxing work and men are loath to do it.... We can curtail our praying and not realize the peril until the foundations are gone. Hurried devotions make weak faith, feeble convictions, questionable piety. To be little with God is to be little for God.'"