What gets you up in the morning? We’ve all heard people say things like “I love my work so much, I can’t believe I get paid to do this!” Or, “If I could do anything I wanted, it would be just what I am doing.” I have never found the work I could love this much, and, believe me, I have tried a lot of different things. Oh sure, there have been short term projects that would heighten my interest in “getting at it,” like a new knitting project, or a new book, or a garden plan. But with time the thrill fades, and the work becomes simply routine. One morning a couple of weeks ago, I was considering this question as I got dressed, and trying to think if there was ANYTHING that could possibly capture and motivate me so that I just couldn’t wait to get up and get going. The evening before, in my Bible study group we had been focusing on the ten commandments. Then it struck me; the first commandment: “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” As a Christian, I should be drawn to rise in the morning by the most thrilling privilege possible: I get to meet with the God of the Universe!   He tells me in His word to come to Him; invites me to pour out my cares and my needs. He promises to answer me.  All those other things I might get up for, the books, the garden, even what I am having for breakfast can, at times, consume me; they become “other gods” when they are the reason I look forward to the day. I have lost my first love…

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”  

I believe He is coming back soon, and I want to be ready to see Him.   What gets you up in the morning?