What should be our top priority once we repent and are baptized?

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness ..." (Matthew 6:33).

"You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3).

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).

God wants us to put obedience to Him and seeking His righteousness and His Kingdom ahead of everything else in this life. Our commitment to serve Him wholeheartedly, however, may present us with difficult choices. Paul explains: "... All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). Therefore we need to evaluate, ahead of time, how strong our commitment to God is so we will be prepared to make the choices He wants us to make.

Does God promise to help those who trust Him when they face difficult choices?

"No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13, NRSV).

God tells us that "many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19). For an excellent example of God delivering His faithful servants from a crisis, be sure to read "A Stirring Example of Faith," page 13.

How does God respond to those who refuse to trust Him?

"Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies ... But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil" (Proverbs 1:29-33).

Our commitment to God is necessary (Mark 8:34-38). He tells us, "But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2, NASB). His response to us depends in large part on whether we trust Him, whether our faith in Him is solid.