Key Bible Verses: "For my own sake and for the honor of my name … I will rescue you … for my own sake!" (Isaiah 48:9, 11). Bonus Reading: Matthew 6:19–21

Suppose you ask a company president, "Who, under God, is the most important person in your life?"

He says, "I guess it would be my vice-president of marketing."

You say, "What about your wife?"

He says, "Oh, of course. That goes without saying."

A few might assume that his abounding love for his wife caused him to forget her. But most of us would assume that she didn't come to mind because she's not uppermost in his affections.

The wife wouldn't say, "I'm so honored that I'm like the air he breathes. He never gives me a thought." Rather, she'd say, "If I don't come to mind when you're asked about your life's priorities, it's because I'm not important to you. And if you think I'm honored by being taken for granted, you're wrong!"

It's possible to take important things like oxygen for granted. If you're taken for granted, you might feel indispensable. But not treasured or honored. God is an important person; he doesn't like being taken for granted.