Life can be viewed from a micro or macro viewpoint, but either way, God should be in the beginning. Let me explain. Micro has to do with things that are very small and involves the minute details or variations of something. Macro has to do with large quantities or viewing something from a large-scale perspective.
How does God fit into this? When we view our lives from a micro standpoint, we are looking at the little details of our lives from day to day. When you plan your day, giving thought to what you are going to do and how you are going to do it, where does God fit in your plans? As Christians, we should put God at the beginning of every day we live. We should think of Him and His will when we get up in the morning. No matter what happens on a given day, one thing should never change for us—we are going to put God first. We can do this by starting every day off with prayer.
Psalm 5:3 (KJV)
3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
What a great way to start, not only tomorrow, but every day. From that point on, God should remain on our minds for the rest of the day. When we have decisions to make, God is on our minds. When tough choices have to be made, the first thing we do is consider the will of God. From a micro standpoint, that is how we manage each day God blesses us to live.
What about from a macro standpoint? This has to do more with how we plan to live the rest of our lives, not just the next day. God should be in the beginning of our long-term goals and aspirations, just like He is in our day-to-day plans. This involves decisions we have to make that could very well affect the rest of our lives. Taking on a new job in a different city necessitates considering God and how it will impact your service to Him. Is there a faithful church where you will be moving? Is the move going to enhance or hinder your spiritual life in the long run?
When you are considering marriage, God should be in the beginning. Other than obeying the gospel of Christ, there may not be a decision that will affect your soul more than who you marry. You must look at your life from a macro perspective when it comes to marriage, not just how it will affect you in the days, weeks, and months following your marriage. Are to going to marry a Christian? Marrying a non-believer may work out in the short-term, but might blow up down the road. What is it going to be like for your children? If your spouse is not going to worship services, do you think your children will? Maybe, maybe not, but when God is in the beginning of your decisions, you will think about these things.
In the beginning, God…. That is how we should start every day, but that should be how we view our overall plans as well. God should be first in our lives in the moment and the future. David was determined to put God first in his life from both a micro and macro perspective. This is how he put it.
Psalm 145:1-2 (ESV)
1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
“Every day” described his micro viewpoint of what he was going to do with God, and “forever and ever” was his macro perspective. Let’s follow his example and be determined to put God first today and in the future.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.