First of all...

Imagine for a moment that you have just eaten the sweetest cupcake you have ever tasted in your life.  Imagine the delicious icing that sits atop the most scrumptious and fluffy cake in the world.  This cupcake is so good that you cannot wait to get your hands on more so you decide to go home and make some for yourself.  The only problem is, you have no clue how to bake.  In fact, pretend you have never even set foot in a kitchen.  But you are smart, talented, and you usually do things on your own so you just dive right in.  Since this is new to you, you may pour some flour into a muffin pan, throw in some milk and eggs, and even put some nice Betty Crocker icing into the pan as well.  And, just for looks, throw on some nice sprinkles.  Now throw it in the oven for a few minutes.  YOU’VE MADE CUPCAKES!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!  Ok, so not really.  What you have done is made a nasty mess in your muffin pan.  What went wrong?  Well, for one, you did not mix your ingredients.  But most of all, you did not consult a master.  Don’t you think you should have looked on the cake mix box first?  Or don’t you think you should have asked mom or grandma first?  We so often think we can do this thing called life on our own.  We so often think we can be faithful Christians on our own.  We so often think we can change the people around us on our own.  But why don’t we consult the master. 

Paul tells Timothy that “First of All” we are to pray.  In everything we do, prayer should be first.  We should be focusing our lives on communion and relationship with the Father (the Master) before doing anything else, otherwise we may make a mess. 

I would imagine you have friends who you know need Jesus.  Let us all make sure that we are praying for them daily, and praying for opportunities to share our faith with them.  I would also imagine that there are things that you know you should be doing for God in obedience to Him, but you just can’t find the time or motivation to follow through.  Then let us make the time to pray to our Father FIRST and OFTEN so that we do not make a mess.