A Great Big Piece of Pie

     “Ever wonder what your prayer life must look like to God? By that I mean what percent on a pie chart is self driven (personal needs, desires or materialism) versus prayers for the Kingdom?” My long-time friend, Joy Wright, just posted those two sentences recently, and it certainly gave me food for thought. Take a few moments reprieve and feast on that thought if you will.

     I began to contemplate my own prayer life. Consistency? Yes, I pray daily. Compassionately? Yes, I pray for others. Balanced? No, probably not. I saw my pie chart as God sees it, and I realized how selfish that it was. My personal and family needs exhausted a large portion of the chart. Yes, they were necessary and important needs; however, to be Kingdom-minded I must expand my prayer time to be more aware of God’s desires.

     What does it mean to be kingdom-minded? It simply means putting the things of God as your highest priority, not only in thoughts but in action. It is caring more about God, His church, His people than our own personal needs. I fear that I have failed at this endeavor quite frequently, but it is my desire to vastly improve. The first step to succeed is spiritual discipline. Matthew 6:33 states it so well, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Why can’t we truly believe this? He always takes care of us when we put Him first.