Psalm 5

Oh LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

The first moments of liftoff at Cape Canaveral are critical; so are the first moments of our day. What will our trajectory be? Will it be oriented toward our heavenly Father or will it be toward self? Will our focus be on His kingdom and His Word, or will it be on the latest news, sports, email, or work?

When I tell myself that I’ll focus on other things in those pristine moments and then spend time with God and His Word a bit later I invariably deceive myself – once first impressions are made there is no more room for first impressions; what do I want my first impressions to be – of God who has created me for eternal relationship or of this transitory world? The tyranny of time can rob us of the treasures of eternity; the anxiety of the moment can rob us of the peace of Christ…if we choose to let them. The chaos of society creates rudderless lives; Christ bids us to be steadfast in Him.

The sacrifice that we prepare and offer is ourselves; Paul writes that we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God; Paul tells us that this is our logical response to the Gospel – the blood of Jesus Christ the Lamb has purchased us, we are His, so we offer to Him what is already His – we offer Him ourselves anew every morning. In that same passage in Romans 12 we are exhorted to be transformed through the renewing of our minds – first impressions matter. Will my mind be renewed in Christ in the morning or will it be formed in the images of the world?

Is there anything in the morning that I need to know that is more important than knowing God? Is there an email or a Facebook status or an election outcome or anything else that is more vital than reading the God-breathed Scriptures and listening to the Holy Spirit communicate the Word and life of God to my heart and mind? What does the fabric of my life look like? What does the fabric of my mornings look like?

When God comes to meet me in the morning will He hear my voice giving Him a welcome? Will He find a sacrifice?